


Hero not for hire?

by Nerdzilla91



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Superpowers, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 06:17:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 71,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20990231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdzilla91/pseuds/Nerdzilla91
Summary: Imagine being in a world with superpowers and not even being able to use them. Nicole Haught had no idea where she was going in her life but when she met a mysterious brunette the answers she needed start to come to light.Sorry I suck at summaries but please give it a go :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I've had this idea rolling around my head for a while and this will be my first Earp fic. I don't have a beta so if you notice any mistakes I do apologise and hope that you enjoy. I welcome any feedback and will do my best to update regularly.

So when you see those old superhero shows in the past there was always this main character that would have their voice over at the beginning and tell you this epic origin story and it would instantly pull the audience in and make them want to know what the whole story was and how the hero came to save the day. Well, I don’t have my own tv show, television hasn’t been around for a very long time but I can still write my story. I don’t have an epic superhero name but for now, you can just call me Nicole. Nicole Haught. So before we get to the main story let me just give you a little bit of back story just so you’re not lost. 

As I said before my name’s Nicole and back when I was little, say about 10, the world was struck by a dilapidating virus. Everyone in the world was contaminated, even the dead itself. First the dead began to rise and then whenever a human died, they would also become a zombie. The world pretty much went to shit after that. When the virus did hit I was in school at the time, everyone I knew and loved died, and I was left alone with a few other kids in my class. We all worked together for a while just trying to survive and hide from the dead but let’s be realistic, it didn’t last long. Some of them became lost and the others joined the dead but I wasn’t alone for long. A retired sheriff in town called Nedley came across me, found me scavenging in the supermarket, he took me under his wing. He had just lost his own daughter so we kind of saved each other.  


So from that day on we were each other’s person, he taught me to hunt, use my first gun and how to interact with the new generation of people, he taught me to survive and in return, I helped him grieve, even though I didn’t know it at the time. We were together for 10 years, he was my best friend, my only friend and at this point, you’ve probably noticed how I’m speaking in the past tense. A few months back we came across an enclave who were willing to let us come and live with them, we would help out with finding food or rescue missions when a member had gone out for a walk and not returned (They were obviously dead but we never said anything) and that was how we paid rent.  


So on one particular day, me and Nedley got sent out to find car parts and food, nothing out of the ordinary. So we had been out all day, we were just heading back to base when we were corned by a herd of Zombies, there were too many for us to fight off, so we ran. We ran until there was nowhere else to go, we ran into a clearing that had an old decaying warehouse, we were surrounded and it was getting dark. So Nedley broke into the warehouse and we blocked the door behind us but it wouldn’t hold us for long. Nedley held door whilst he ordered me to climb as high as I could, so the dead couldn’t follow, he promised he would be right behind me but they were too strong in numbers. 

They overpowered the doors and took him away from me. At the same time, I was almost at the roof, I had climbed to the rafters doing my best to reach the hatch for the roof but as I did I could hear Nedley’s screams. The one person I could rely on in my life was dying just so that he could save me. I know he would be pissed if I tried to go back for him, so I took everything he taught me and reached for that hatch. Too bad one of the beams in the rafters broke causing the beam I was holding onto to collapse. I went down a loooong way. Not straight to the bottom, if I did I would be dead and you’d be listening to a ghost but never mind we’re going off course. Where was I? Oh yeah I was falling and the entire ground floor of this warehouse was covered in zombies and how do I get lucky, I land on a scaffolding about 6 feet above these zombies. I landed on some old pallets which were a great cushion (notice the sarcasm?) and they snapped, puncturing my lung and breaking my leg, I could feel everything and it was agonising. I was trapped with nowhere to go, I could barely breathe and there was a herd of Zombies underneath me. I was sure that was it, Nedley was gone and I was going to be next. The zombies were piling into the warehouse trying to get to me, so many that they couldn’t all fit and then the craziest thing happened. With all the zombies that were trying to get in and they were all on top of each other causing the walls of the old warehouse to shake and collapse. Everything went black, I was prepared for the worst but when I woke up I was led in the middle of the destroyed warehouse, completely healed and surrounded by the remnants of torn up zombies. 

I never got a chance to think about what happened when I was found by people from my enclave, they took me home and checked me over. Other than losing my father figure the next few days just went by normally until I figure out what had happened in that warehouse. I had developed superpowers. Everyone around me including myself freaked out but then over time I realised what I was able to do and I went out to save humanity. I destroyed every single zombie on the globe, I knew I couldn’t get rid of them forever but now we had a chance to rebuild society and get a firm grip on the zombie issue. It was hard work but I did it and everyone rejoiced. I felt like I had finally found a purpose in the world, well until I got kicked out. Apparently I was an inconvenience, when I was around there was nothing left for anyone else to do and I didn’t have lots of people to save so I was sent away. I was alone again. 

And that’s where I’m going to leave it, you never saw Oliver Queen give everything away in the first five minutes. So that’s my back story and now I leave you to enjoy the rest of it. This is the story of a superhero in the Zombie apocalypse with nothing to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Nicole was hanging out the window of her own built treehouse. She had a long hollow wooden tube in her hand, looking through it like a telescope and doing her best to look amongst the tree in search of something to do, anything. Being alone for a few days now was starting to set in on the lonely redhead. Everything she had built up in the last 15 years had suddenly disappeared and she honestly had no clue how to deal with anything especially now when she has these newly acquired powers which have just brought her nothing but bad luck from the start.

The boredom of loneliness was beginning to set in and being the quirky type of person that Nicole was, her imagination had gone wild. She spent her day fashioning an eye patch out of old string and a leaf from an oak tree nearby. Using one of her new abilities, she commanded the wind to pick up and for full rain to pour down. Nicole’s pretend pirate ship was almost complete. The setting was right; her costume was on point even down to the fake peg leg from a branch that she attached to her right leg. She was almost ready for her adventure. All she needed now was some treasure to find but without a map, she had no chance of finding anything, so instead she continued to look out into the distance. After a couple of moments, Nicole put the telescope down and sighed, looking around her surroundings. There wasn’t much in her newly built home, an old tree trunk was her new chair and a mound of dirt and leaves had been fashioned into a mattress with a mouldy looking blanket for warmth. Other than that the small room was bare.

“I should’ve made a parrot...parrots are cool...I think. It would be better than talking to myself, I could call him Leroy. Yes, Leroy. This mission needs a parrot!” Nicole said to herself out loud with a proud finality.

Being by herself made it a lot easier for her to speak out loud rather than just in her mind, not that Nicole was the type of person to hold back. That was the one thing that would drive Nedley crazy through their years together. Nicole didn’t like keeping things to herself and not wanting to be trapped in her own mind, her thoughts were always made known to the world no matter what it was. Her parents had brought Nicole up to just be herself and always be open but unfortunately, that’s all she had been taught before everything she knew was torn away, so she held on to the lesson and refused to let it go.

“Ok captain Haught to the top of the mast! Leroy’s up there and we need to save him!” Nicole shouted out to no one in particular and began to climb outside of the treehouse. Using the branches the redhead pulled herself up to the roof of the treehouse and then leapt to a nearby branch. Slowly she made her way up through the tree; she caught sight of an empty birds nest at the top of the tree.

“Leroy!! There you are!” Nicole screamed through the wind and rain that she continued to let storm. Loving the setting and refusing to ruin the story that she was playing out. So she struggled to make her way up, a couple of times of almost slipping on the wet branches, the lonely hero made her way to the top. She reached out a spare hand to grab the empty nest. It wasn’t very big but Nicole was already picturing so many ways of moulding it into a parrot shape, which could easily give her a couple of hours to kill. She tucked the nest into her pocket so she wouldn’t lose it in the heavy wind. Slowly stretching her leg down to begin her dissent a harrowing scream spread out across the forest. Nicole stopped her movements at the scream and instead of climbing down, she continued right to the top. Pulling her homemade telescope out of her other pocket and searched all around her for the source of the scream. The wind was thrashing against all the trees sending them in every direction and with the rain drowning her face it made it much more difficult to see. Playtime was over and none of this was helping. Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, within seconds the winds calmed down, just leaving a light rain. Nicole opened her eyes again upon still feeling the rain.

“I guess I can’t turn you off if you're natural...hmm who’d thought. Damn it! Focus Haught! Someone’s in trouble!” Nicole shouted herself shaking her head back to reality, procrastination was always a problem for the redhead but she was definitely working on it.

She grabbed the telescope again and searched the forest. In the distance, she could see a fallen tree led across a river leading into a waterfall. As she continued to pan across the fallen tree she could see something hanging from the side. Nicole pulled the telescope away and frowned. Putting the telescope away, Nicole raised her hands so her palms were facing up and the top of her arms were pressed against her sides. The wind started to build again but this time only around Nicole. Her body began to lift into the air, the wind was lifting Nicole body, it surrounded her like invisible clothing. Lowing her arms and tilting her body in the direction of the waterfall the wind carried her across the forest to her destination in one smooth movement. Instructing the wind with her mind, her body carefully lowered to the ground, just beside the fallen tree.

“Hello!! Anybody out here?!” Nicole shouted into the distance. She still received no response and noticing there was still something hanging off the side of the tree Nicole reached her hand out and instructed the tree to peel its own branch backwards and bring the object to her and straight to her hand.

“Oh thank you!” Nicole beamed to the tree as it returned to its normal shape. She looked at the object in her hand, it appeared to be a grey cardigan but it had rips in it and red substance along the collar. Nicole ran her finger across the red stain. “This is fresh blood; this must have belonged to whoever screamed!”

Discarding the cardigan on the ground, Nicole edged to the side of the fallen tree and looked down at the waterfall. It looked dangerous and very far down. She gulped at the distance and the way the waves crashed against the sharp rocks at the side of the river. Looking back at the tree and then to the cardigan and then back to the river, it was very obvious to Nicole what she was going to have to do.

“Guess I’m going down (Looks back to the bottom of the waterfall and takes a deep breath) I sure hope this doesn’t hurt,” And without another thought, Nicole arms rose in the air and she flung herself off the edge and diving down into the bottom of the waterfall. Unbeknownst to Nicole though, as her body plummeted to the bottom and rain surrounding her and the splashing from the waterfall hitting her face, the Redhead’s body turned into water. Her form had become the one thing she was about to hit, so instead of impact, her body joined the water making her look purely invisible. Noticing the lack of pain, Nicole looked at herself but was unable to see anything. She was still breathing fine and she was flowing so quickly though the water.

“This is new...but I definitely like it!” Nicole thought to herself, unable to speak out loud underwater. With a smile on her transparent face, Nicole cruised with the water’s direction, keeping her eyes open looking for her victim. Then she saw it deep at the bottom, she could see brunette hair flowing amongst the sand. With her body in water form, her eyesight was impeccable and could see the body of a girl who was clearly unconscious and still being pulled away by the river. So Nicole focussed her attention and aimed straight for the girl. Her body flowed with the tide catching up to the stranger quickly. She tucked her arms under the girl and turned her attention back to the surface. Making sure she had a firm grip on the girl, Nicole let the water lift her upwards.

As her head broke through the water’s barrier and oxygen hit her lungs, Nicole’s body returned to normal. Scrambling for air, Nicole tightened her grip on the girl and swam to the water’s edge, first lifting the girl on to the embankment and Nicole following straight after. She pulled the body further away from the water and turned the girl on to her back. Nicole fell to her knees next to the victim, lifting the face upwards. She checked the pulse but couldn’t find anything.

“Please don’t die on me lady! I suck at CPR!” Nicole shouted to the unconscious woman. Nicole started CPR; she went on a couple of minutes with no luck. Nicole sat back looking up towards the rain, there was no way she had gone through all of that for this person to just die and then an idea popped in Nicole’s mind.

“I wonder...,” Nicole said mid-thought. So this time instead of breathing into the strangers mouth, she sucked inward, doing her best to concentrate on the water in the girl’s lungs. A moment later and lump hit Nicole’s lips and she pulled back. A trail of water followed her and out of the victim’s mouth until there was nothing left. Then instantly the brunette shot up gasping for breath, looking around in shock. Nicole’s eyes widen in shock, she hadn’t expected that to work, she was still slowly discovering her abilities and didn’t know she was capable of all this. She reached a hand out lowering the girl back down onto the ground.

“Hey, calm down you’re ok, I thought I lost you for a second there,” Nicole slightly chuckled to lighten the mood as she looked over the clearly frightened stranger. The girl looked back to Nicole with a fearful and confused look on her face, the face that Nicole couldn’t help but stare at. The girl was covered in cuts and bruises but underneath all that was beauty, coupled with her deep brown eyes, bringing a calmness to Nicole that she didn’t realise she could have.

“Wow,” Nicole said out loud, forgetting she was with a complete stranger. The stranger just frowned at Nicole. “Sorry I mean, I’m Nicole and your safe now,” Nicole quickly salvaged her response, not to sound so weird straight away, giving a caring smile to the girl. The girl tilted her head as though she was analysing Nicole and gave a small forced smile.

“I’m Waverly...,” Waverly managed to say before passing back out. Leaving Nicole back in silence, wondering who this beautiful girl was and how she managed to be in so much danger. So she scooped Waverly back in her arms, ready to get them back to safety and away from the rain.

“Waverly...I really like that name,” Nicole smiled to herself and with that, the wind surrounded Nicole and lifted both of the women into the air.


	3. Chapter 3

When Waverly awoke, she could feel a hard lump under her back. Her head was throbbing and she could barely open her eyes. She inched them open as much as she could until it felt like the light was burning her retinas. Quickly shutting them again, she rubbed her eyelids with such ferocity, hoping the movements would take some of the sensitivity away. Stretching her body out from the hard lump to find pain in her ribs also, everything was fuzzy to Waverly but slowly coming back with every minute she was awake. She felt around her to try and figure out where she was when the last thing she remembered was plummeting down a waterfall. The floor was smooth with wooden texture but it definitely didn’t feel like floorboards the patterns were completely different. So pulling the blanket that was on top of her over her face, Waverly slowly opened her eyes, welcoming the darkness. Small spots of faint light shone through the blanket, giving the brunette time to adjust.

After a couple of minutes of being led in silence and not hearing any sign of life around her, Waverly carefully pulled the blanket from her face revealing the room to her. It was a bare room with very little in it. There was an old tree trunk in the corner and large rusted bucket next to it, the surface of it looked charred, like it was used for fire, to cook with or for heating. The whole area looked like the wood had been weaved rather than placed into certain positions, almost like she had been put in a very large wicker basket. The detail was beautiful and intricate; it must have taken months to create. Waverly like a shaky puppy pulled herself up from the floor, careful not hurt her ribs anymore than they were. She looked back down at the spot she had just resided in to see the makeshift bed. Waverly tried to be disturbed but since the apocalypse hit there had been worse things that she had been forced to sleep on, the mouldy blanket didn’t even make her flinch.

Watching her footing, Waverly made her way around the small room to try and get a clue as to where she was. There didn’t seem to be any weapons and she wasn’t tied down so she didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger. The room had two places that you could enter or leave; there was one small hatch in the floor and a window to the side of the room. Waverly made her way over to the window when she could see a flash of green moving on the outside and being the curious creature that she had always grown up to be, Waverly made her way over to the window. As she grew closer she couldn’t believe her eyes, she was eye level with a plethora of tree crowns, they were stunning and by the judgement of height, Waverly had never been so far off of the ground before. She could see such a mixture of different animal’s up in the treetops but barely anything further, the branches and leaves were just too thick for her to be able to see past. Spinning on the spot, Waverly’s eyes scanned the room for anything that could tell her where she was. Then she spotted some clothing that was being hung up with twigs that had been nailed into the wall to resemble hooks but there was also a couple of random sticks, a leaf attached to a string, a hat made out of really old newspaper and a hollow wooden tube. Waverly had no idea who could possibly live there but they definitely had a strange choice of belongings. Grabbing the wooden tube Waverly thought she could use it as a makeshift telescope and try and see further than the trees. So making her way back over to the window, she reached out as much as she could and raised the tube to her eye.

Her eye searched the area, she couldn’t see that far but much further than before, she could just about make out a clearing in the distance, so she didn’t seem to be that deep into a forest. She really squinted until just through the brush she could see a faint orangey/red colour. It was moving around quite quickly that Waverly’s eyes just couldn’t keep up.

“What the hell is that? And where in the fudgenuggets am I?” Waverly thought to herself. She looked back out the window and whatever was there had disappeared. Not wanting to find out what it was and get back to the road, she quickly put her shoes on that had been removed from her and placed next to the dirt mound. The shoes were soggy to the touch but Waverly just didn’t care, she just wanted to get as far away as possible. Grabbing one of the sticks hanging from the door, she pulled open the hatch in the floor to reveal a rope ladder attached and a very long drop. Waverly’s stomach turned at the sight of being so high up.

“Get a grip Waverly, it’s not that far...just don’t look down,” Waverly told herself as she took a deep breath and began her descent.   
The ladder was partially stable but strong enough to hold the young woman’s weight. Keeping her head pointed firmly upwards making sure to follow her own advice; she made it to the ground in no time. Now being on flat ground, Waverly took in her surroundings properly, the area looked much lived in. There were fresh piles of chopped wood, a used fire pit and random piles of dirt, leaves, buckets of water and scrap metal but no people anywhere. Whoever had rescued Waverly didn’t seem to have stuck around. Looking back up at her original location, Waverly could really take in the elaborate building work of the wooden room. It looked like a treehouse but nothing that Waverly had seen before. The wood had been weaved from two treetops into one house, it must have taken weeks to build it, and it was stunning. Since the Zombies hit that kind of architectural beauty just didn’t exist anymore.

So taking a firm grip of her acquired stick and a firm hand on the side of her ribs, Waverly slowly began her journey into the forest to get back to why she was originally out there. A couple of minutes into her walk the wind started to pick up around her.

“Great a storm, just what I need,” Waverly thought to herself as her feet picked up more speed. Above her head the wind got stronger, looking at the trees and seeing the lack of movement made Waverly nervous. She picked up more speed and looked up behind her to see a very confused Redhead floating in the sky above, with what looked like a mini-tornado under her feet. “What the-?” Waverly said in shock.

The Redhead looked at Waverly with a small smile and waved. Panicked by the stranger and the gesture, Waverly got her stick and threw it up at the floating woman. Nicole moved closer as she looked down on Waverly and grabbed the stick in the air.

“I don’t get it? You wanna sword fight or something?” Nicole shouted down to Waverly, knowing the stick was one she whittled back at home. Waverly screamed and started to run with great difficulty, she hobbled as she made her way through the trees. “What did I do? Wait up!” A confused Nicole shouted after Waverly.

Waverly hobbled as far as she could not knowing how to deal with the woman flying in the sky so casually. Her sides were radiating with a burning sensation like someone was stabbing her with a knife with every movement she took. The wind began to pick up again but this time in front of her. The fear made Waverly’s feet stop moving, she couldn’t run and there didn’t seem to be anyone nearby to hear her screams when the Redhead landed in front of her.

“I’m sorry I don’t mean to scare you and you obviously don’t remember me...well you did pass out after I told you my name...should I have checked for concussion? I wouldn’t know what to check...sorry lost track for a second...I’m not going to hurt you,” Nicole jabbered on, forgetting the young woman was just staring at her in confusion as she had another one-way conversation.

Waverly narrowed her eyes at the woman standing opposite her. She was quite strange but at the same time Waverly couldn’t help but silently stare, the Redhead had an innocence that surrounded her but an aged beauty that was just so natural. Finally coming back to reality, Waverly did her best not to stare and find out what happened.   
“Who or what are you?” Waverly frowned, slightly looking at the door not wanting to be distracted by the beautiful face.

“I’m Nicole and human, I saved you from the waterfall, I found you before it was too late...” Nicole explained to the brunette. Waverly had nodded along to what Nicole said trying to piece everything together in her mind, so she slowly raised her head so the two women could face each other.

“And how did you manage to do that before?” Waverly asked as she pointed at the sky above her. Nicole followed where she point realising what she meant.

“Oooh, yeah, that’s a long story but it helped me save you...are you ok? You look like you can barely stand?” Nicole reached out a hand to aid Waverly but the brunette brushed her hand away and took a step back.

“I’m fine, really. Look thank you for saving me but I’ve really got to be going, so good luck with...the flying? And I’m gonna go...this way,” Waverly pointed to the woods, grabbing on to her side more so as the pressure of standing was making the pain more unbearable. All of a sudden Waverly’s body began to sway, she had been so focused on the pain in her side she forgot about the injury to her head that was making her lightheaded.

“Waverly are you ok?” Nicole asked concerned as the colour drained from Waverly’s face.

“How do you know-?” Waverly began to ask as her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness. Her body propelled forward when a swift Nicole dove forward and grabbed the falling girl.

“We really need to stop meeting like this, I don’t care how pretty you are, this is stressful,” Nicole told an unconscious Waverly.

***

A few hours later Waverly awoke again in the same position as she had earlier. The familiar lump under her back had reappeared but when she inched her eyes open this time, she wasn’t overwhelmed with bright light. Not having the same burning sensation as before, Waverly fully opened her eyes without the aid of the blanket. Pulling herself up in a seated position Waverly took in her surroundings to find she was exactly where she escaped before.

“Is this groundhog day?” Waverly said out loud placing her hand on head, rubbing the pain that hadn’t disappeared.

“Nope, you just passed out again,” Waverly looked up to see where the reply had come from, that girl Nicole was sat on the tree trunk in the corner of the room, with the bucket alit with a fire warming her hands against the flames. The small fire managed to light the whole room. “Sorry didn’t mean to make you jump...I should’ve thought that through considering you pass out really easily,”

“I do not pass out easily! I don’t normally make a habit of losing consciousness, I’m not narcoleptic!” Waverly snapped back at Nicole.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you! Stupid Nicole, remember to keep your mouth shut,” Nicole told herself off as she looked down at her feet in disappointment.  
The frown from Waverly’s face disappeared as she watched Nicole’s behaviour, the girl wasn’t trying to be malicious in any way and she was being so rude to the person who had found and saved her and still continued to.

“Please don’t shut your mouth...I’m just confused, I shouldn’t have snapped I’m sorry,” Waverly addressed Nicole with a much calmer tone this time around, feeling more sorry for the Redhead as she watched her. Nicole lifted her head and just gave a small nod in Waverly’s direction. Then she stood and took an old cool box from behind the trunk. Opening the lid, Nicole pulled out an old used plastic water bottle and shyly gave it to Waverly. Waverly just nodded in thanks and proceeded to down half the bottle. She hadn’t eaten or drank for a while and the hydration was like sweet relief to the beaten and broken girl.

“Sorry, I almost finished it...” Waverly apologised trying to hand the bottle back to Nicole.

“It's fine, finish. There’s plenty more where that came from,” Nicole told Waverly in a tender tone ignoring the offered bottle. Waverly just smiled back and finished the water, quenching her thirst.

“So who are you?” Waverly asked as she finished the water and couldn’t help herself any longer, she wanted to know everything.

“I’m Nicole,” Nicole said with a proud smile on her face.

“Yeah, you said before (Waverly gave a half laugh that melted Nicole’s heart) but I mean what are you? How did you do that before? Is that how you saved me?”

“Again I’m human. I don’t know. And yes,” Nicole smiled proudly again.

“Right. You didn’t want to expand on that?” Waverly asked confused at the abrupt but happy answers.

“Sorry I try not to give long answers, I tend to babble and then I forget what I was asked and then people get that look on their face (points to Waverly’s confused face) well not that exact look, you’re very pretty. Shoot I shouldn’t have said that I just mean everybody doesn’t look the same, which is a good thing otherwise we’d all be like clones and no one wants-,”

“Nicole!”

“Yeah, sorry I was doing it again,”

“I confused you, come and sit here,” Waverly patted the ground in front of her and gestured for Nicole to join her. Nicole hesitantly made her way over to Waverly, who now had a much more caring smile on her face compared to the angry one Nicole was greeted with. Nicole sat down opposite the brunette, doing her best not to look uncomfortable.

“Ok, I see you have trouble, especially with multiple questions, let’s try this slowly and one at a time, ok?” Waverly said as she gave her award-winning smile, hoping to make Nicole less shy. Nicole just silently nodded back. “Ok let’s start again, how can you fly?”

Nicole hesitated for a moment doing her best not to blurt out the first thought in her mind.  
“Well, it’s not really flying...uh...more the wind carrying me...I had an accident a few months ago and since then I’ve been able to communicate with the earth, wind, water and fire and they can help me in different ways...I haven’t figured it out properly but I can do some stuff...” Nicole said doing her best to explain without getting distracted.

“So you can talk to natural elements? So what else can you do?” Waverly asked now very intrigued. Nicole just smiled and looked back to the fire pit; she squinted her eyes and concentrated. Then all of a sudden the fire shot up from the bucket and floated above Nicole and Waverly’s head. The fire then stretched out like a piece of string and then wrapped itself around the two women so it was barely touching them and then tied itself into a bow. Waverly watched the fire transfixed.

“It’s a great way to keep warm when it gets cold out,” Nicole told Waverly with excitement in her eyes as she instructed the fire to return to the bucket.

“That. Was. Awesome! So you used your...powers? To save me?” Waverly asked as she increasingly got more excited with every new piece of information. She had been so rude to Nicole in the beginning but this girl was just so genuine and innocent that Waverly couldn’t even bear being discourteous anymore. She did make Waverly feel safe and she could’ve been saved by someone a lot worse.

“Yeah, I heard you scream but when I got there you were already in the water, so I got you out and flew you back here,” Nicole told a wide-eyed Waverly.

“I’m sorry, flew?!”

“Yeah you were unconscious and you really shouldn’t be in the cold when you’re wet, so the quickest way back here was to fly,” Nicole explained not seeing the issue in her story.

“I flew and I don’t remember?! That is so freakin’ awesome and sucky at the same time!" Waverly explained sitting up more in excitement. “Ahhh, jeez,” Waverly cried out as a pain shot through her side. A shocked Nicole shot up and ushered Waverly backwards so she was leaning against the wall.

“You shouldn’t be getting excited like this, you’re still in pain and you’ve barely eaten or drunk anything, I can tell you more tomorrow after you’ve rested more,” Nicole explained as she made sure Waverly was more comfortable.

“How long have I been here?” Waverly asked confused.

“Since last night,”

“What?”

“It’s ok; I like the company...even if you weren’t awake,”

“No this is such an imposition, I’ve been so rude and shouldn’t take up your time-,” Waverly started to explain as she did her best to climb up off the floor. Nicole dove in and grabbed Waverly’s arm to steady her on her feet. Waverly looked from Nicole’s soft hand on her arm and followed that up to her eyes.

“Please don’t go...well at least until you’re a bit more healed, it’s not safe in your condition out there. I know there’s not as many zombies but there are still animals and weirdo’s and stuff out there, plus it’s nice to speak to someone...speaking to you...,” Nicole just shrugged giving Waverly a shy smile. Waverly look down to her feet and then back to Nicole, she couldn’t help but notice the warmth that came from Nicole, that safe feeling again that she just couldn’t shake.

“But I was so rude...”

“Bet I’d be grumpy if I had gone through what you did but your nice now and I’d love to know about you and when your better I’ll even fly you to wherever you want to go,” Nicole jabbered out like an excited children, not wanting to let the comfort of Waverly essence leave. Waverly took a deep breath and went through all the pro’s and con’s in her head, still staring at Nicole, still wanting to know more about this person, maybe this person could help her with her own problem.

“Ok...and not just because I get to fly, just a couple of days until I’m better,” Nicole’s face broke out into a huge smile.

“Great, I’ll make us some food and you should rest more...and tomorrow we can get to know each other,” Nicole exclaimed as she lifted the hatch and lowered herself down to leave the treehouse.

“Wait! Where are you going to sleep?” Waverly called to Nicole before she could leave.

“Anywhere, I usually float in my sleep, so I’m easy,” And with that Nicole left a mystified Waverly as the hatch shut behind her in the empty treehouse.

Waverly leant back against the wall as she could hear the faint sounds of Nicole talking to herself excitedly outside, preparing food. “This is definitely going to be an interesting couple of days,” Waverly thought, chuckling to herself as she thought about the quirky stranger.


	4. Chapter 4

“So on today’s show I’m going to be making a very bland rabbit stew with a luscious stale bread roll on the side, it’s going to be Magnifique...,” Nicole said in her best French accent as she continued to pretend she was on a cookery show and her audience was the forest.

With Waverly resting most of the night and morning Nicole had a lot of spare time to kill by herself again, so deciding to do what she did best rather than give in to the horrors of her own thoughts. Building the stories in her mind was a great way to past the time but it was also her escape, dealing with the terrors of a dystopian world and fearing for her own life every day was just too much for her to deal with. Distraction was her best friend because reality sucked and after her mentor was torn away she really did succumb to her own imagination. Her abilities were no use to her when she had no one to save or want her around, why would Nicole want to ever address that pain? So in all her excitement last night she could barely sleep, she was awake by sunrise, out searching for food to feed her newly acquired houseguest. She knew that Waverly was in a rush to leave, she wasn't blind but having the company filled her heart but there was also something about this stranger that just made Nicole want to get to know her. Learn her story; learn who she is, and just figure out why she couldn’t keep her eyes off the brunette. It was almost as if they had met before, Nicole could feel a pull between the two as soon as Waverly had open her eyes by the waterfall. So knowing she only had a couple of days with the beautiful stranger, Nicole wasn’t going to waste it.

“So once you have skinned ze rabbit, we then have to debone, dis can be quite...eh..icky but I'm cooking it in a kettle so there are no judgements here...” Nicole continued on in her imaginary world, not even noticing the appearance of Waverly behind her, watching on in fascination.

“Do you usually talk to yourself like this?” Waverly called over, she was stood at the bottom of the rope ladder with the mouldy blanket wrapped around her shoulders for warmth in the icy air of the late morning. Nicole jumped at the voice, spinning on her spot brandishing the dead rabbit in her hand like at weapon until her eyes fell upon Waverly. Waverly was stood there in shock, staring down at the rabbit in front of her, she seemed much more well-rested, with more colour in her cheeks. The two women stared at each other for a moment, neither knowing what to do or say, Nicole had never had someone see her in her imaginary world before.   
“I’m sorry I asked, you can put the rabbit down...,” Waverly told Nicole doing her best not to smile.

Quickly a wide-eyed Nicole put the rabbit down and jumped up from where she was sat.   
“What are you doing down here? You should be resting,” Nicole ran over to Waverly and ushered her over to where she had been previously perched and then sat on the floor opposite.

“Really I’m ok, I can’t lie up there anymore, my head doesn’t hurt anymore but I am going stiff from the pain in my side, do you have anything I can bind myself with?” Waverly asked with a wince.

“Um like bandages? Or something?” Nicole asked suddenly caught guard and kicking herself for not thinking to do this before.

“Yeah, if you have any or something similar, I just need some support for the pain,” Waverly explained to Nicole. Nicole hesitated for a moment before a smile broke out on her face.

“I have any idea if that ok?” The excited Nicole asked her guest, receiving a small nod back. So scrambling off the floor and running over to the pile of wood that she had already collected and gathered a few skinny sticks and rushed back over to Waverly’s side. “So I read this thing a few years ago when we stayed in a library for the night and you’re not meant to bind broken ribs tightly and I have no bandage but if you’ll trust me I have an idea?”

Waverly looked to the sticks and then back to Nicole, this woman hadn’t treated Waverly badly yet and there was already a certain amount of trust that made Waverly believe that Nicole would never intentionally hurt her. So taking a deep staggered breath, Waverly nodded her head in a nervous agreement. “Ok let’s do this,”

“Great! Um, would you mind (A now nervous Nicole gestures to Waverly’s shirt awkwardly) ...taking it...you know,”

“Oh...uh...yeah course sorry...um,” Waverly blushed forgetting where her injury was for a second there. It wasn’t the first time Waverly had to undress in front of a stranger; she had spent many times in her life sharing large rooms with strangers with no privacy, but the thought of Nicole looking at her suddenly made her feel so vulnerable and self-conscious. So gulping a little, Waverly slowly with shaky hands undid the buttons from the bottom of her shirt to reveal her torso and then pulling the fabric back so her ribs were fully on show. The area was blotchy with bright red and purple bruises spread across the ribs on her left side.

“Geez that looks bad, sorry I didn’t think to treat it before, that was never really my job ...ok hold still,” Nicole took her attention away from Waverly and concentrated on the sticks, one by one the sticks lifted into the air all horizontally in a row. Nicole moved her hands almost as if she was a conductor in a musical performance. Her hands swayed effortlessly as the sticks aligned themselves around the torso and wrapped themselves around the girl, they wove in and out of each other until they were all attached beautifully. Then she pulled them in closer to the torso leaving a small gap as she put the finishing touches and the bind was complete. It looked like an antique corset had been placed around Waverly’s frame and specially made just for her.

“Oh my god, this is amazing and so beautiful, it’s not even tight,” Waverly exclaimed as she stood up so she could really see what had been created. “I feel so supported right now...thank you,” Waverly stared down at the beaming Nicole, so glad that she could make Waverly happy and feel better.

“You’re so welcome,” Nicole smiled back. Not sure of what to do next Nicole turned her attention back to the rabbit and continued to prepare the meal. Waverly watched the awkward woman go back to her original task filling her with sadness. She could see the loneliness emanating from the Redhead as she went back to cutting the meat but was also mumbling to herself quietly whilst concentrating. Tentatively Waverly did the buttons back on her shirt and carefully sat back down opposite Nicole.

“So you do talk to yourself a lot?” Waverly broached carefully not wanting to embarrass her. The Redhead stopped her mumbling abruptly and then looked back to Waverly.

“Well it’s not really...its more stories...yeah I do, I create stories in my head to pass the time, I’ve done it for so long I don’t even notice myself doing it, sorry if it weird’s you out...I can try and stop?”

“No! Sorry, I mean this is your home, do whatever makes you feel comfortable, don’t worry about me...I kinda wish I could be like you actually, I usually get stuck in my own head,”

“I don’t like being in my head, it’s a scary place ya know and you never know what people are really thinking plus it really stops the world from sucking... well for me anyway, maybe not for you. I’m just speaking for myself of course-,”

“Nicole...calm down, I get what you mean and it’s cool you can just be yourself, so were you like this before? I mean you said “we” before like you travelled with someone,” Waverly asks trying not to push the nervous woman.

Nicole cleared her throat at the question; she never had to talk about Nedley since he died, the one thing she had been avoided and never had to try hard with when living by herself.   
“Yeah, he was a great guy. He took me under his wing when I was a kid and we travelled together for a while...,”

“When did he die?” Waverly asked as she could see the heartbreak strewn across Nicole’s face. Nicole stopped what she was doing and looked up at Waverly, the edges of her eye’s had burnt red and they had glazed where Nicole was trying to stop the tears from falling.

“Ahem...a few months ago, the same night I got my powers...he sacrificed himself to save me...,” The two women went quite, Waverly didn’t know what to say and Nicole didn’t want to say anymore.  
“Oh, the water’s boiled!” Nicole shouted excited, happy to be distracted from the conversation. She placed the meat in the kettle to cook and jumped to her feet, dusting the dirt off her trousers. Waverly watched carefully, not missing the swift move from their conversation that they had barely started. Nicole obviously didn’t like being serious for too long, like it was too difficult for her to deal with. It made Waverly just want to take Nicole in her arms and just tell her openness isn’t a weakness or anything to fear and she just couldn’t wrap her head around why she suddenly felt that way. The more she spoke to Nicole the more she wanted to learn, their interactions made her heart swell.

“Wanna come Zombie hunting?” Nicole excitedly asked bringing Waverly out of her thoughts. Waverly raised an eyebrow.

“I thought Zombies were a rare sight these days?” Waverly asked sceptically.

“They are...I mean I thought I got rid of them all but I forgot about graveyards and people still dying now, so just like to have a look round for stragglers now and then, plus sometimes I find cool stuff that I can use, it’s like treasure hunting without a map!”

“You were the reason for the lack of dead?! Wait how I am I not surprised, I just thought they were slowly becoming extinct or something!” Waverly jumped up in shock, ignoring the pain that developed in her ribs in that second.

“Well yeah, once I started to figure out what I could do, I just figured, get rid of all the zombies so everyone could try and rebuild...,” Nicole shrugged her shoulders as she explained like it was common knowledge but it was only to herself and few others.

“That’s amazing! So why are you alone? Surely everybody would want a hero like you to be around and keep them safe?” Nicole dropped her head, almost ashamed.

“They didn’t want me,”

“What?” Waverly asked in almost a whisper. A lump formed in her throat as she witnessed the broken look on Nicole’s face, slowly she walked up to Nicole and put her hand to the Redhead’s cheek to make her look back at Waverly.  
“Why didn’t they want you, Nicole?”

“My powers were an inconvenience, they said I was taking all the jobs away from people and none of our personalities matched, so they sent me away but it’s ok cause look at what I’ve got now...” Nicole said trying to put a positive spin on her situation with a forced smile.

“Those shit tickets!” Waverly snapped as she let go of Nicole’s face and started to pace where they stood.

“Huh?”

“Those dicks! You saved the entire world and they send you away, how dare they? Sure you’re a little quirky but it’s cute not a reason to send someone packing!” Waverly ranted away.

“It’s ok Waverly, really...” Nicole said trying to calm the brunette down.

“No, it’s not, you’ve been lovely to me the whole time I’ve known you, and how are you so ok with this? I just found out and I’m fuming!” Waverly said as she stopped pacing to face Nicole. Nicole just sighed and placed her hands on Waverly’s shoulders.

“I can’t make people like me or want to be around me, I made my peace with it, I might find my own people one day but for now it’s just me,” Nicole gave a side smile at her own resolve. “Look, let’s stop this depression talk and go zombie hunting...I’ll even make you your own slingshot,” Nicole was practically bouncing on the spot.

“Why would I need a slingshot?” Waverly confused as to why that would be a bonus.

***

A couple of hours later Nicole and Waverly found themselves sat on a thick branch about 50 feet in the air, legs just dangling as they looked over their surroundings. After Waverly gave in to go zombie hunting, Nicole made sure that her new guest ate so there was no chance of her passing out again and then gained permission to fly them both until they could find an area that would need clearing. They found themselves in a tree at an old park that seemed to have a fresh batch of zombies wandering around the area.

“Bullseye! Got it!” Waverly squealed in excitement, the two women were taking it in turns aiming for the zombies that were passing by below them.”This is so much fun...great stress relief,” Waverly said nudging into Nicole’s side.

“Thought you’d like it, who needs video games when you can pelt tiny balls at dead things head’s?” Nicole beamed back at the small brunette.

“How often do you do this?”

“Every few days, I like to just fly around and make sure things are quiet and safe, I might not have much to do but I wanna know that I did my bit to make the world a better place,”

“I like that, that’s a very selfless outlook, you wouldn’t find many people these days that would use your abilities for their own benefit, I can see how you were chosen,”

“Chosen? I wasn’t chosen...this was an accident, I don’t even know how it happened, I was unconscious,” Waverly gave Nicole a strange look and then took her hand in her own.

“Nicole, acquiring these kinds of abilities doesn’t happen every day, even before the world went to shit. You must have been chosen and the more time I spend with you I can see why...you are so pure. After everything you must have been through, you still try to do your best to avoid the sadness and focus on the brighter side of things, so don’t think of it as an accident...think of it as a blessing, they may come in handy one day,”

“Maybe but I try not to think too much about the future, no one knows what may happen so may as well stay in the present,” Nicole said staring into the distance as she aimed her slingshot and hit another Zombie.

“You know I’ve been around you for like 48 hours and this is most focused and serious I have ever seen you, it’s kind of unsettling,” Waverly laughed catching Nicole’s eye as she joined in the laughter.

“Yeah I don’t like it either, you must be rubbing off on me,” Both women’s eye met and everything stopped. The tension was palpable. Nicole had never met someone who just took her for face value, even when she was with Nedley she had to have a serious persona, too scared to reveal her real self, believing that she had to be something she wasn’t but Waverly didn’t care. It seemed like it at first but the brunette was slowly opening herself up and Nicole never wanted her to go.   
“What about you huh? We keep talking about me, but how did you end up hanging over the edge of a waterfall, you don’t look like a professional diver to me,”

Waverly hit at Nicole’s arm jokingly. “Shut up! I was trying to climb across the river on that broken tree but I lost my balance, not my best moment...”

“So you were just out there alone, don’t you have anybody?” Nicole pressed now wanting to learn new things about this mysterious girl. Waverly went quiet, she couldn’t look at Nicole, and instead, she just fiddled with the slingshot in her hand.

“My family died when I was a child, there were only me and my sister left. We did what we could and travelled around for a while until there was a zombie attack...she died but a local enclave saved me. It was ok at first; I would clean for them, odd jobs to earn my keep but recently...” Waverly began to weep.

“I’m sorry, you don’t need to go on, please don’t cry,” Nicole guiltily pleaded not quite sure on how to console the brunette. Waverly wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

“No, it’s fine, you told me your story it’s only fair...recently they wanted me to please their men...I refused and escaped, they chased me and that’s how I got hurt,”

“And that’s why you were in such a rush to leave; you thought they were coming after you...” Nicole said in realisation. “Well you don’t have to worry, you’re welcome to stay with me as long as you want, and I can protect you,”

“No Nicole, this isn’t your problem! I’m not risking anyone trying to hurt you to get to me; once I’m healed I’ll be on my way,”

“I won’t hear of it, like you said I was given these powers for a reason, what if it was to keep you safe...we’re both alone...we could keep each other company?” Nicole almost pleaded giving Waverly the biggest puppy dog eyes.

Waverly melted under the look, it turned her stomach in knots at the thought of using Nicole for her own gain but with every moment she was around the Redhead she couldn’t bear the thought of not being near her.

“If I were to stay, I’d need to get somewhere better to sleep, that dirt mound is a back killer,” Waverly said much to Nicole’s excitement. Nicole enveloped Waverly into such a tight hug they didn’t even notice they slipped off the branch and were now just floating. Waverly held onto Nicole just as tightly, hiding her face into the crook of Nicole’s neck just to hide the guilty expression that descended on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

A week had passed and the two women had seemed to have got into a rhythm of living alongside each other. The first thing Nicole did when she got home was build Waverly the most elegant bed that she could, making a gorgeous four-poster single bed that fit snugly in the side of the room. She then searched the nearest town for a mattress that was the least used for the bed, she even found duvets and pillows just to make sure it was the most comfortable it could be. For a moment she thought about getting her own but she knew she would just end up floating, it started the first night she built the treehouse and so she never even needed the homemade patch she had temporarily made on the floor which was probably why she never knew how uncomfortable it actually was.

The first couple of days were awkward just dealing with each other’s habits and quirks but that soon dissipated. The two women would spend their evenings reminiscing about the days before the zombies hit and then the days would be spent improving their home, planting vegetables and flowers and teaching each other new skills to pass the time. They even started to pick up each other’s quirks easily, as though they had always known each other.

“This here fire will give us the light we need at night, not only to keep warm but to keep predators at bay,” Nicole spoke to herself in an Australian accent, pretending that she was in some kind of nature documentary as she built the fire, using her abilities to make the fire larger than the one she had just made. Night had set in and Nicole had tasked herself with building the fire for when they went to sleep. Then a twig snapped and she spun round to see who was in the darkness with her.

“Don’t forget to set the trap, don’t want to be caught out when we’re sleeping,” Waverly said imitating in her best Australian accent as she entered the camp area with wood in her arms and took them over to the fire. Nicole broke out into a huge smile. Since Waverly had been there she had become accustomed to being caught out whenever she disappeared into her own little world but this was the first time that Waverly had integrated herself into the play world.

“Ah but you forget little lady, we’ll be sleeping high up in the tree safe from any dangers,” Nicole quickly replied already invested.

“What about supercharged kangaroos who can jump higher than normal? What about that ey?” Waverly replied now positioning herself next to Nicole looking out into the dark forest. When she came back from collecting the firewood and heard Nicole in her own little world again, she couldn’t help but take up the temptation of joining in. Many times she had witnessed the Redhead happily making up situations with whatever task she was in the process of and always enjoyed the show. Watching Nicole get lost in what she was doing just made Waverly’s chest tighten, it was so endearing and made her feel so at home and relaxed. So this time when she saw the story unfold she took a chance and involved herself and found herself loving it. She felt so free and so far away from the person that she was. And knowing that Nicole was enjoying herself just as much, just made her feel so much closer to her newfound companion.

“Well, I’ll just protect ya then, for I am super!” Nicole, who was now standing proud with her hand on her hips, discarded the accent and broke out into laughter with Waverly happily joining her. 

“Oh my hero,” Waverly said in the best swoon voice she had and placed the back of her hand against her forehead. So without thinking Waverly jumped forward so Nicole could catch her and kissed her on the cheek. The two women froze at that moment as Waverly pulled her head back from Nicole’s face. The Redhead’s face had illuminated bright red, not expecting that kind of affection. As soon as she had done it Waverly realised she may have gone a bit too far, she wasn’t sure why she kissed the Redhead but she definitely didn’t dislike it, it just felt too natural.

“I’m sorry Nicole, guess I got a bit lost in the moment,” Waverly apologised as she took a step back out of Nicole’s personal bubble and started back towards the treehouse.

“It’s ok we’re both friends here and...And it was nice...,” Nicole admitted, embarrassed to show she enjoyed the affection that may have just come as part of the story they had built up together.

“Really? You liked it?” Waverly asked not wanting to get her hopes up on whether Nicole meant that in a platonic way or not.

“Yeah...I get it you were in character...but then I’d like it if you weren’t...I mean not that I think about that type of thing but it would be nice but this was ok and now I’m overthinking it or am? Do you think I read too much into this...Jesus Nicole don’t ask her that-,” Waverly cut the other woman off with another kiss to her cheek, causing Nicole to blush all over again.

“I liked it too, you’re a good person Nicole and I like getting to know you and I wouldn’t mind if it happened again...,” Waverly trailed off now embarrassed by her admission. “I know we barely know each other but I like what we have going on here and wouldn’t mind seeing where it went, I mean if that’s ok with you?” She timidly asked Nicole.

“Seriously? I mean yeah! I mean cool...I mean...I don’t know what I mean but yes,” Nicole managed to babble out to an amused Waverly. The brunette continued to watch the super being fall over her own words but couldn’t help but love the honesty. No one had ever been honest with Waverly in her life; she always had to question every conversation with every person she ever came across but not Nicole. She could sense the openness that emanated from her and Waverly couldn’t bear to let it go, she could see a real future with this person and in this world that was a rare thing to come by.

“Nicole, calm down. How about we got to sleep and we can talk properly tomorrow?” Waverly suggested to a now overexcited Nicole. Nicole furrowed her brows and thought for a moment and then a smile descended on her face as she stepped closer to Waverly and offered her arm.

“May I escort you to your room me lady?” Waverly smiled at the gesture before linking her arm with Nicole’s.

“Why thank you, kind sir,” Waverly played along, enjoying the chivalry. The two women made their way over to the rope ladder with Nicole offering for Waverly to ascend first.

As the small brunette began her climb to the treehouse she managed to get halfway up when there was whizzing sound that launched through the camp straight for Waverly. A knife flew over the top of the brunettes head and struck the ladder causing it to drop and Waverly with it. She lost her grip and fell from the ladder. Seconds passed and Nicole launched herself off the floor and caught a shocked Waverly.

“Are you ok?” Nicole in a more quieter and serious tone as she placed the brunette down and looked her up and down checking for any injuries.

“No I’m fine, thanks to you being here-,” The pair were cut off again when an arrow whizzed past them and hit a nearby tree.

“Waverly get down now!” Not even arguing, Waverly ran over to the closest bush and crouched down just to the edge so she was just out of sight.

Nicole was now angry that some had twice tried to hurt Waverly, she began to lift into the air without even thinking. Raising her arms outwards to summon the rain. Then three men entered the encampment. They all came from different directions in a triangle formation around Nicole. One of the men started to shoot arrows at Nicole who dodged them with great ease, she concentrated on the arrows as a couple stopped in front of her face and launched them straight back hitting the man in the chest, sending him right to the ground. The man’s companions came closer, one with a strange looking assault rifle aimed straight for Nicole and the other with his hands behind his back.

“Just give us the girl and we’ll leave you alone, no one wants trouble here,” The man carrying the gun shouted up to Nicole with a snide grin on his face.

“How about you leave now and I don’t have to do something I’ll regret,” Nicole retorted back calmly not losing the authority in her voice.

“Sorry can’t do that, we have orders,” The man grinned lifting his gun and taking fire at Nicole. She tried to stop the bullets but couldn't, they must have been made of synthetic materials, so instead, she did her best to dodge them but wasn’t fast enough when a stray bullet hit her in the arm. Crying out in pain she lost concentration for a moment and began to descend but stopped herself as she dropped a couple of feet. This was all the men needed though and the man with his hand behind his back saw his opportunity. He ran forward as he pulled a metal-looking chain from behind his back and lassoed it, attaching itself to one of Nicole’s feet. The man tugged on the chain, using all his strength to try and pull the super being down as his companion continued to shoot at her.

Nicole tried her best to pull away but she couldn’t dodge the bullets and fly away at the same and realising she couldn’t move the chain because it obviously wasn’t made from natural materials; her options were beginning to dwindle. Looking to her side to see that Waverly had disappeared from her hiding spot, an enraged Nicole thinking that there must have been another man who took her. As the rage built, her eyes turned to an electric blue and sent sparks from her eyes. Stretching her arms out she commanded the rain to increase, so much that the men found it hard to see what they were doing and then the lightning started. Bolts of lightning filled the sky, sending bolts straight down around her attackers. The man with the chain let go in shock as he did his best to get out of the way whilst the other man continued to shoot anyway hoping to hit his target through the thick rain. Before the fire could go out, Nicole reached out and the last smoulder coal lifted out of the fire pit and rose up, the smoulder increased to a fireball, the flames built with steam spreading through the rain, making visibility difficult. Sensing the man with the chain was making his way out of the camp, Nicole sent the fireball through the air, it hit him in the back, launching him at a nearby tree and killing him instantly.

However the man with the gun realised Nicole had turned her attention elsewhere and he took his chance, he crept up behind Nicole and threw a rock at the back of her head. Disorientated from the impact, she fell to the ground. With the lack of control, immediately the rain dissipated and the lightning disappeared. Trying to ignore the pain, Nicole climbed to her knees trying to get off the ground but a boot to her side sent Nicole back down. She rolled on to her back as she clutched her hip to see a gun pointed in her face.

“Where’s the girl you freak?” The man growled at Nicole as he cocked the gun, putting light pressure on the trigger.

“Right here D-bag!” Waverly shouted from behind as she aimed and hit the man in the back of the head with the slingshot. Before the man got a chance to react, Waverly quickly loaded the slingshot and hit him again. “Little help please,” Waverly shouted to a slightly disorientated Nicole.

With a fuzzy head, Nicole pulled herself off the ground and charged at the man. Grabbing him into a bear hug, she lifted him from the ground and high up into the sky. The man struggled to get out of Nicole’s grip, he swiped at the Redhead but with no avail until he realised how high up they were. Not saying a word, Nicole flew straight at the ground at top speed. The man screamed in terror as he waited for impact. A few seconds later Nicole landed and dropped the man at her side, he had panicked so much that he passed out. Nicole dropped to the floor next to him, weaker than she had expected. Waverly rushed to her side, she brushed wet hair out of the Redhead’s face to see the weakened complexion.

“Are...you ok?” Nicole just about managed to ask Waverly.

“Me ok? Are you ok? That was amazing and terrifying,” A mystified Waverly asked in awe at her hero.

“Yeah...I just need to rest, the lightning thing was new...took a lot out of me...” Nicole explained as her eyes began to drop lower, exhaustion setting in.

***

An hour later the two women had managed to get back up to the treehouse, Nicole used the last bit of energy she had to float the women up and to safety. Waverly made sure to tie up the one man who was still alive at the bottom of the tree whilst rolling the other two into the forest and away from the camp. The brunette then stripped Nicole out of her wet clothes, redressed her in dry ones and put her in the bed. Waverly made herself busy cleaning and covering Nicole’s wounds. Luckily there weren’t many but the ones that were there were pretty bad. Her right arm had a bullet wound that went straight through her arm and a large gash on the back of her head. Nicole lost consciousness after she got up to the treehouse so that’s when Waverly took her chance to stitch up the cut on the back of Nicole’s head knowing it would be the most painful. She then proceeded to bandage the bullet hole the best she could. Everything had happened so quickly, the evening had ended so nicely and now she was here cleaning up Nicole and praying that they had no more visitors that night.

Keeping herself busy she hung up her and Nicole’s wet clothes and made sure to lock the hatch, just in case. Then she turned her attention back to the sleeping Redhead. Gathering some old cloths and a bowl of water, she proceeded to clean the sleeping woman. Carefully wiping the dirt and dried blood from her body, she couldn’t help but unintentionally admire the injured hero in front of her. She looked so peaceful when she slept and this was the first time Waverly had seen her not floating so she must have been weak. Even in her weakened state, she was still so beautiful though, it took Waverly’s breath away and she almost got killed because of her. Fleeting thoughts of disappearing into the night to avoid Nicole being put through more pain lasted only seconds as just the thought of not being by Nicole’s side made her feel sick.

“Whatcha thinking about?” A groggy Nicole asked with her eyes still closed. Waverly just gave a soft chuckle that in Nicole’s weakened state she was still more concerned about Waverly.

“That you look weird lying down,” Waverly teased. Nicole slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to Waverly’s direction with a lazy smile.

“Don’t get use to it,”

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Nicole replied as she pulled her body up the bed uncomfortably. Waverly ran for a bottle of water and brought it back to the Redhead. She lifted the bottle to Nicole’s lips and helped her drink the soothing fluid. “Thanks, are you ok?”

“Nicole Haught, would you stop asking me that, I’m fine but you’re not,” Waverly scolded the woman that sat in front of her.

“I can’t help it waves, those men came from you, I just needed to be sure,” Waverly just stared at the woman in awe, so compassionate and selfless to care more about her than her own pain. She just leant across and kissed Nicole on the cheek again. Nicole looked on at Waverly with confusion. “What was that for?”

“For being you, for saving my life again...,” Waverly explained and she looked on fondly.

“You don’t need to do that just because I saved your life, I would always do that to keep you out of harm’s way,” Nicole told her shaking her head. Waverly’s breath hitched, she couldn’t contain her feelings anymore and lunged forward, kissing Nicole hard on the lips. The Redhead didn’t have a second to register what was happening before they disconnected again.   
“W...Why?” Nicole asked dazed by the touch of Waverly’s lips on her.

“Because I wanted to...you make me feel things I just don’t know how to express,” Waverly replied quietly, worried she may have scared Nicole with her forcefulness. Nicole broke out in a half-smile. “Was that ok?”

“I didn’t hate it but I’d have to try it again to be sure,” Nicole responding trying not to blush at her own confidence. Waverly beamed, this time she moved to sit on the edge of the bed and carefully leant in to softly kiss Nicole on the lips. Everything made sense to both women at that moment once their lips met. The world disappeared and their connection was cemented. Nicole felt something she never had before, she felt wanted and happy, and she felt like she was home. Waverly was her home. The women stayed kissing for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other and finally letting everything go. Remembering how injured Nicole was, Waverly, pulled away just enough that their faces we’re still close. She had a hand caressing the Redhead’s face, just taking in the beauty.

“Wow,” Nicole finally let out after a few seconds of silence, the kiss still fresh in her mind. Waverly just giggled quietly as she continued to watch on.

“Yeah, wow...so that was ok then?”

“Definitely! That was...wow,” Nicole responds still speechless. Waverly sits back amused by the Redhead’s response. “What now?”

“Weeelll, we were already planning to talk to tomorrow anyway, so how about you get some rest and we’ll just go from there?”

“Ok...where are you sleeping?”

“On the floor, you’re in no state to be moving, you need to heal,” Waverly states her tone changing to a serious one.

“No, you can’t. Sleep here, there’s plenty of room,” Nicole now shocked that Waverly would give up her bed but still didn’t want to argue when she could tell Waverly had made up her mind.

“Nicole... (Her demine changing back, something that always happened when talking to Nicole) ...I can’t, I’ll probably hurt you more,” Waverly explained.

“Yes you can, your small and I’ve seen you sleep, you don’t move...it’s kinda creepy, the first night you were here I thought you died...had to check your pulse to be sure,” Nicole replied as she thought back to their first night together with a wide-eyed expression.

Waverly couldn’t help but laugh at this, she could see that Nicole wasn’t going to take no for an answer even in her rambling innocence.   
“I will...on one condition, I hurt you even a little bit that you wake me up and tell me or I won’t do it again,” Nicole just smiled back.

“You already know it’s going to happen a second time?” A now gleeful Nicole responded. Waverly just wafted her hand at Nicole’s good arm.

“Sssh you or it won’t happen ever,” Waverly squinted her eyes playfully at Nicole. Shaking her head, she stood and waited for Nicole to scoot across the bed to make room. Then she cautiously climbed into the empty space and slid in next to the warm body beside her. She waited for Nicole to get comfortable before shifting and laying next to Nicole’s side being careful not to touch her in any way. Nicole looked down at Waverly and tutted before lifting her arm and wrapped it around Waverly, pulling her in close. “Nicole, what are you doing, I’m going to hurt you,”

“No you won’t I swear, you're nowhere near my injuries, just relax,” Rather than respond, Waverly just sighed knowing this was an argument she wasn’t going to win and was pretty sure didn’t want to. Lifting her head, she leant over and gave a quick peck to Nicole’s lips before returning to the pillow.

“Goodnight Nicole,”

“Goodnight Waves,”

The two women melted into each other and fell in the best night sleep they had ever had.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Waverly woke to a hot breath against her neck, it took her a minute to remember what happened last and then she smiled. The memory of kissing Nicole stormed to the front of her mind. She turned her head to come face to face with the Redhead. Nicole was deep in slumber as the sun was just rising. Quietly Waverly leant over and kissed the top of Nicole’s nose, careful not to wake the sleeping hero. Nicole wrinkled her nose at the touch, making Waverly silently giggle at the reaction. Cautiously pulling herself from the warmth of the bed, Waverly made her way across the room over to the tree stump and sat down. Helping herself to a bottle of water, she leisurely sipped on the water as she silently watched the sleeping Nicole and reflected on the events of the night before. She knew those men would end up coming for her but she truly thought she was hidden enough. What was she going to do? She couldn’t let Nicole get involved with all of this. If only she could get to their new guest before Nicole woke up but there was no chance of that happening with the broken ladder. So instead all she could do was wait, there was no point waking Nicole early when she deserved the rest. This was a time to be gleeful for the blossoming romance that had just started to develop but that was overshadowed with dread and fear and Waverly knew she was going to need a plan B. So she continued to watch over the woman she was slowly falling for and bide her time until the happy bubble she was in was going to burst.

When Nicole woke up any stiffness in her body from the night before had disappeared. She opened her eyes to find the space next to her empty; she shot up from where she led to see where Waverly had gone. She heard a giggle and looked up to see a very amused Waverly sat on the stump watching her intently.

“Has it really been that long since you slept using gravity, that’s how you choose to wake up?” Waverly teased the Redhead.

“So funny, when you weren’t here I was worried something happened,” Nicole confessed embarrassed by her urgent movements. Waverly gave Nicole such a loving look and then moved across the room to join Nicole on the bed. She brushed some hair out of Nicole’s face.

“No one can get to me dummy, the ropes broken. Don’t worry I would never go far,” Waverly reassured the Redhead with a light kiss. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Better, my head hurts a bit but the rest of me feels fine, that sleep must have really helped,”

“Well you definitely look better; do you have super healing or something?” Waverly joked while looking Nicole over as she started to remove the bandages from her arm.

“I dunno, (Nicole shrugged) I’ve never really been hurt, well except for when I had the accident that gave me these powers but that was an instant, figured it was just where I first developed anything,”

“You’re telling me you can do all these things and you haven’t been hurt in months?”

“Well it’s not like I’m off fighting super villains every week for me to find out, this place is pretty dead...get it?” Nicole laughed finding her own joke funny. Waverly pushed Nicole playfully.

“Oh you’re so clever aren’t you? But seriously you obviously heal fast, it’s been a week and I’m still covered in bruises, you’re bullet wound is almost closed...maybe you can drag energy from nature or something? All you’re gifts seem to have an element theme to them, ya know the earth, fire, water...that kind of stuff,” Waverly suggested having been thinking about all of her powers and how they were linked for a while now.

“I guess, it doesn’t sound like a horrible idea, I mean it makes sense, I just wish I knew what happened ya know? From my accident to when I was found, it’s just black,”

“I know it sucks and you may never find out but for now you just have to think of it as a gift and be glad you didn’t end up dead...otherwise we would never have met,” Waverly told Nicole with so much compassion. Nicole just returned a sidewards smile and leant her head on Waverly’s shoulder.

“We should probably go and introduce ourselves to our new guest...maybe draw on his face, now that would be funny,” Nicole joked changing the subject. Waverly’s heart rate suddenly increased.

“Um, how are we going to get down, surely you can’t be strong enough to carry us down already, maybe you should rest a little bit longer to be sure?” Waverly said doing her best to dissuade Nicole. Nicole sat up straight to look a Waverly.

“Let’s find out,” Nicole shrugged with a neutral face. Moving off of the bed and around Waverly, Nicole positioned herself in the middle of the room. She stretched her limbs outs, moving her neck round and bending her knees. Then she shook her arms out and took a deep breath and within seconds Nicole began to effortlessly lift off of the ground. She looked down at her feet and then back to Waverly with a huge grin. “I guess I’m good to go,”

***

Sometime later after the two women cleaned themselves and ate some food, they stood at the edge of the hatch ready to descend. Waverly looked down through the hatch nervously just not wanting to leave. Whereas Nicole was jittery, she placed her hand on Waverly’s back noticing the nervous behaviour.

“Are you ok? You can wait here if you want? I can talk to the guy,” Nicole offered.

“NO! I mean no, I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine once I’m down there,” Waverly quickly replied with a forced smile. Nicole returned the smile, oblivious to Waverly's behaviour and her futile attempts at distraction and stepped over the hatch so she was just hovering.

“Ok I’ll just lower myself a bit and then you can climb down to my arms, ok?” Nicole instructs Waverly who just nods in agreement.

They soon made their way to the ground with ease. Nicole placed Waverly down as they looked around the area. Now it was daylight they could see bullets and arrows littered everywhere and coal and ash from the fire was blown everywhere covering the ground.

“Where did you tie the guy up?” Nicole asked looking around the camp area. Waverly looked to the bottom of the tree where she had tied up the assailant.

“I tied him up over there (she pointed to the tree) well I thought I did...” Waverly trailed off as she made her way over to the tree with Nicole following close by. They arrive at the tree to find the man was gone and all that was left behind was the loose chains hanging around the tree and bloodied decapitated hand.

“Gross! That dude cut his own hand off to get away!” Nicole exclaimed with a disgusted expression. Waverly just frowned at the reaction and picked the hand up. “Ew, don’t pick it up,”

“It’s not going to bite! Look there’s a ring on the finger,” Waverly said as she pulled the ring from the hand and then threw it aside once she got what she needed. “It's gold plated and there’s something on here, it looks like an R...Bobo,” Waverly dropped the ring in shock not realising what she said out loud.

“What’s a Bobo?” Nicole asked as she watched Waverly stare down at the ring. Waverly stopped what she was doing to look back at Nicole. Her face was white.

“Bobo...Bobo is a very bad man, he has his own enclave called “the revenants” and I use to live there...,” Waverly admitted shamefully. Nicole looked on in shock.

“As in the guy who wanted you to...you know...do things,” Waverly just nodded her head. Not knowing what to say Nicole just pulled the small brunette into a hug. Waverly couldn’t stop herself and began to sob into Nicole’s chest. “Hey it’s ok, I won’t let him near you, and I’ll go there now and make sure of it!” Waverly jumped straight back from Nicole horrified.

“You can’t do that!” Waverly argued back.

“Why not?”

“You saw what happened last night and there were only three guys, if I wasn’t there you would’ve had a bullet in your face! If you go to Bobo there will be a lot more people on his side than yours,”

“We weren’t prepared last night if we had a plan-,”

“No Nicole, I can’t let you risk your life like that, it’s too dangerous,”

“Then what’s the point of these powers if I can’t beat the bad guy?”

“Because it’s called choosing your battles! You still don’t fully know what you’re capable of and things could go very wrong for you in there...,”

“Then what do we do? Am I just supposed to sit here and wait for people to randomly attack us or hope that we managed to scare them off?” Nicole said exasperated with the situation. Waverly dropped her head back and looked up to the sky, searching for an answer, she needed to stop Nicole going after Bobo, nothing good would come from it. Then her eye line hit the treehouse and it struck her.

“We don’t need to wait here, we can just leave?” Waverly told Nicole who was now confused.

“What do you mean leave?” The Redhead asked as she watched Waverly wondering what was going on in her head.

“I mean we leave this place, we could move to a couple of towns over, we could find a nice abandoned house? Start a real life together, actually have a real kitchen, maybe even get a sofa and you can fly there so there would be no tracks to follow us?” Waverly said trying to sell the idea to Nicole. Nicole looked up at her treehouse with a sorrowed look and looked back to Waverly.

“So I’d have to leave my home?” Waverly’s heart broke just to look at Nicole’s face. She thought for a moment, feeling so guilty for even suggesting the idea.

“Well we could live somewhere else but you could keep this as an outpost, the ladders broke so it’s not likely anyone’s gonna get up there any time soon,” Nicole stayed quiet; Waverly had never seen her like this, never so broken. “Just forget I said anything we can think of something else,”

“You really want to start a life with me?” Nicole finally replied looking down at the floor.

“Yeah I really do, I know we’ve only just met but I honestly can’t imagine being away from you, I think we could have something special,” Nicole stayed silent, just nodding her head and listening. “Nicole we can do whatever you’re comfortable with, it was just an idea,” Waverly just silently waited for Nicole to respond. The silence was deafening and it was such an unnerving feeling to not know what the Redhead was thinking for a change and it terrified Waverly.

“I have one condition?”

“Oh yeah?” Waverly replied not expecting the response.

“I want somewhere with a garden so I can build a treehouse, I want a memory of where we first met...” Nicole expressed now looking at Waverly.

“Is that you saying you want to move?” Waverly asked with a smile growing on her face. Nicole just returned it now beaming. With an excited squeal, Waverly launched at Nicole who gladly caught her and spun her around with glee.

***

Later that day Waverly and Nicole gathered up anything they didn’t want to leave behind and began their journey to find a new home. They flew two towns over just to make sure they built enough distance from where they originally stayed, so Bobo’s men wouldn’t have a chance of finding them. Nicole dropped them off in a small town that seemed deserted from a distance. They landed on what looked like the main street, filled with derelict shops and businesses. There definitely hadn’t been anyone around in a while. There were dead bodies littering the street and sidewalk, some were human but mainly just Zombies. Waverly took Nicole’s hand in hers as they slowly made their way down the street, just broaching their surroundings, deciding whether the place was a good fit for them.

“I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen this place before,” Waverly told Nicole as she searched her mind for the sense of familiarity.

“Maybe you passed through here a while ago and just forgot? Most of the towns look like this, and they all sort of look the same to me...maybe that’s a thing? Like mass produced town designs, they should be like Lego and be different with crazy designs...at least you know where you were when you arrived?”

“Well no one seems to be here; maybe you could do that yourself? Mix it up maybe?” Waverly suggested, enamoured by the cute thoughts that just spill out of the Redhead’s mouth on a regular basis.

“We don’t even know if we’re staying here yet,” Nicole shrugged still looking all around her.

“It seems quiet and definitely far away from any signs of life, we might have the whole place to ourselves...” Waverly was now walking backwards so she was facing Nicole, making it easier to see the town from a different direction.

“Look over there, I think I can see houses, should we do some scouting?” Waverly now turned round to see where Nicole was pointing when something caught her eye. Her face dropped as her legs carried her subconsciously to the target of her eye line. “Waves? What is it?” Nicole asked noticing that Waverly suddenly looked absent. She followed Waverly until they both stopped in front of the doors of an old bar.

“I think I know where we are...I remember this building?” Waverly explained not taking her eyes away from the sign above the doors ‘Shorty’s’. A memory of a young Waverly flashed to the front of her mind. She was sat at the bar with her little legs dangling over the edge as she giggled and spoke to an older gentleman with greying hair who was cleaning glasses and laughing along with her.

“Waves?” Nicole asked in a hushed tone, concerned when she saw the one single tear drop from Waverly’s eye.

“I grew up in this place when I was younger until the dead came to town,” Waverly told her companion as she wiped the tear from her face and turned back to Nicole. “My aunt ran this place with her friend Shorty; daddy drank here most nights, so me and my sisters basically grew up here, it’s fuzzy now but I remember a lot of laughing and smiling,” Nicole placed a hand on Waverly’s shoulder which the smaller brunette clutched on to.

“So where are we?” Nicole asked, dumbstruck with what to say.

“Purgatory,” Waverly replied flatly. Not able to cope with the memories, Waverly pulled herself away from Shorty’s. She continued her journey through town with Nicole running to catch up.

“I get your upset but I’m so confused right now, Waverly, please can you stop and just talk to me,” Nicole pleaded as Waverly stopped, dropping her head in defeat. She turned to face Nicole, doing all she could to stop the tears from falling.

“I’m sorry...this just really blindsided me. I haven’t been here in a really long time. I never thought I’d be back honestly,” Waverly confessed, the overwhelming feelings hitting her hard.

“Do you want to leave?” Nicole asked mildly, not wanting to upset the smaller woman more.

“I don’t know. Part of me wants to run away, forget about my old life but then I keep thinking that maybe it’s a good thing being here, it would be like a do-over, a way to keep my family and friends memories alive,” Nicole scrunched her face up, she had been very focused internally that day and she didn’t like, she liked to process her thoughts verbally but today she didn’t want to risk hurting Waverly doing that. And in that moment Nicole could definitely sense that she shouldn’t be vocalising with the her inner monologue at such a sensitive time, living with Nedley helped her pick up on when she should keep her mouth shut, mainly because he was a bigger fan of noise, hence why they didn’t socialise with lots of strangers, he didn’t own the kind of trust for strangers that Nicole had naturally.

Nicole looked up into the sky to see the sun had started its schedule of preparing to set.   
“Why don’t we find somewhere to sleep before it gets dark and then see how you feel in the morning, we can do whatever you want?”

Waverly couldn’t help but melt as she looked on at the compassionate woman in front of her. All sadness disappeared upon hearing Nicole’s soothing suggestion. She walked up to the woman, linking their hands together. “What about you though baby?” Waverly asked not noticing the natural nickname that appeared in her question.

“What about me?” Nicole asked confused. Waverly just gave a breathy laugh.

“It’s not just my decision...do you want to leave?”

“I don’t mind...I mean this place has obviously had an impact on you and I’ve never been here, as long as you’re comfortable I don’t mind where we are...unless it was somewhere really cold....I’m not big on cold,” Nicole explained as she got lost in her own thoughts of camping in the middle of Antarctica next to a family of polar bears.

“You’re such a cute goober, let’s do your plan, let’s get some rest and see how things go, I just can’t think right now, it hurts my head,”

“Ok,” Nicole simply agreed, she let go of Waverly’s hands and proceeded to scoop the woman up into her arms. Waverly gave a high pitched scream of joy not expecting the gesture.

“Nicole! What are you doing,” Waverly giggled as she wrapped her arms around the super hero’s neck.

“I thought I would lighten the situation, so we’re gonna play a game, I’m going to fly up and you’re going to close your eyes and when I say go, I want you to point and that’s where we’ll stay...even if it ends up being a public toilet,” Nicole joked, doing what she did best. Waverly just stared into Nicole’s eyes; everything the Redhead did just made her fall harder and harder. All the bad memories disappeared in an instant; she could stay wrapped in Nicole’s arms for a lifetime. She kissed Nicole’s lips in delight.

“Ok, take us away,” Waverly beamed as she tightened her hold on her hero as they took to the skies once again that day.


	7. Chapter 7

Waverly got lucky with her blind pick, finding a house on a suburban road. It looked like something out of one of those pictures you would see on a billboard down at the side of the road of a new housing area. It was so picturesque, with a partially destroyed white picket fence out the front but with a gorgeously large back garden. When they got inside the house they were pleasantly surprised to find that there wasn’t anybody living in the home, dead or alive. So the women could settle down easily with no unwanted distractions.

The next morning the two women woke up lazily together, they had made themselves comfortable in the master bedroom, lapping up the comfort. Waverly excitedly made use of the shower, not remembering the last time she stood in a real bathroom to clean herself whilst Nicole went to discover the rest of the house. She found an old smoking pipe on the mantelpiece in the living room and continued to pretend to smoke it as she explored her new environment.

“So far I cannot ascertain any sign that there are dangers around us but I shall continue my search, perhaps I may find something of use to us?” Nicole said with an upper-crust English accident, talking to herself as she peered into random rooms to discover what they were. Most of the rooms were left untouched, all the bedrooms, the dining room and the office. The kitchen had been cleared out, most likely by scavengers passing through. After walking through the lower and upper levels of the house and not finding anything of interest other than a pipe. So after checking every room, Nicole stood in the hallway, deciding what to do next; she could still hear the shower running and didn’t want to disturb Waverly. Then she saw something in her peripheral vision, looking up she saw a string hanging from the ceiling. Not being one to waste a good opportunity for discovery, Nicole jumped up and grabbed the string, she pulled it down. It revealed a hatch with a set of stairs leading to the attic.

“Hello?” Nicole called up to the dark space above her. She didn’t expect a response but if she was about to be attacked by an undead creature or something, she figured she would make herself known beforehand. She took a minute just to listen but nothing happened and then she remembered she was a super being and laughed at her own wariness.   


She started her climb up the stairs, turning her head to the side before entering, listening out for the shower that was still running. Knowing she still a couple of minutes left of her being left to her own devices she entered the attic space. The room was completely dark with no windows. Nicole squinted her eyes in the darkness, trying to look for a light of some kind. Nicole stretched her arms out to look for a light switch when she knocked her knee against something hard.

“Ah dammit! Wish this place had clap on lights or something...or just like click my finger and-,” Nicole spoke to herself in the darkness as she clicked her fingers. A spark imploded into the dark space and a still flame appeared between her index finger and thumb like a lighter.   
“Holy crap! I’m a human pyromaniac! And I can rhyme as well. This day just keeps getting better!” An astounded Nicole discovered. She then proceeded to wave her hand around to see if the flame went out. After five seconds of enjoyment Nicole went back to the task at hand, she made her way carefully around the room looking for a bigger light source but all that could be found were a few unused candles. So lighting them quickly she placed them around strategically, filling the room with a dim light and blowing out the flame on her hand. The room was filled with lots of boxes lining the walls. Luckily it wasn’t like a horror film where she would walk into the room of decaying corpses and then suddenly they came to life and attacked her, instead it was a cold and dusty room that had been forgotten over time.

Curiosity taking over, Nicole started to peruse through the boxes. They were mostly filled with Christmas decorations and photo albums, nothing very interesting but Nicole was fascinated to see who used to reside in that house. So clearing a space on the floor, she positioned herself with her knees crossed and picked up the first album on the pile. It was just a plain red book which read good times on the front of it. Nicole smiled at the title, maybe she and Waverly could have a photo album like that one day if she could figure out how to develop photo’s that is.

She carefully opened the album, she was welcomed to a picture of a young girl, and she was being pushed on the swings by an older smiling woman who Nicole just assumed was her mother. As she flicked through there were more happy pictures of them together, sometimes there were other random people joining in with them in a photo until Nicole reached the back page. There was a larger picture at the end of the album; it was a picture of the little girl sat in front of a large pink birthday cake filled with lit candles. Behind stood the older woman who pushed the swings and next to her was a man she hadn’t seen in the book before. He was a stocky man who looked be in his thirties or forties. He had light brown hair and a bushy moustache. He was smiling broadly and Nicole couldn’t help but recognise him. Getting up from the floor, Nicole took the photo out of the book and took it over to one of the lit candles for better light and narrowed her eyes to really look at the picture. Nicole’s chest tightened when she realised what she was looking at. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling; she hadn’t seen that face in such a long time it took her breath away. The feeling in her knees completely disappeared and Nicole just couldn’t hold her weight any longer and dropped to the floor. She reached one of her hands out to a box close to her and gripped on tight, like holding on to something to prove she was awake. One the other side of the attic the stairs creaked in the darkness.

“Nicole? Are you up here?” Waverly called out as she climbed the stairs.

Nicole’s breathing began to falter, it felt like her throat closed up and she just couldn’t get any air in. Panic set in and the room began to blur when she felt two cold hands on either side of her face.

“Nicole? Baby? I need you to breathe!” Waverly shouted to Nicole which was just a distant sound to Nicole’s ears as the walls began to close in on her. She could feel her face begin to shake; Waverly was desperately trying to get Nicole’s attention. Nicole let her eyes travel until she found Waverly’s.   
“That’s it, honey, keep looking at me. I need you to breathe me ok?” Waverly lifted Nicole’s hand to her chest. “Ok breathe in 1...2...3 and out 1...2...3. That’s it, baby, just calm down,” Waverly told Nicole in a soothing tone as the Redhead’s breathing began to calm down slowly. She pulled the panicked woman close as they sat in silence just listening to Nicole’s haltered breaths in between sobs.

They sat together like that for a long time, just listening to the silence as Nicole calmed down. After finally getting her breathing back to normal and the tears had stopped, she left Waverly’s embrace and wiped the tears from her red, blotchy face.

“Honey, are you ok to try and talk to me now?” Waverly asked in the softest tone that she had as she watched a strong figure broken right in front of her. Nicole took a deep breath as she nodded her head.

“Yeah,” She responded with a croaky tone.

“What happened up here to upset you so much,” Waverly asked brushing stray hairs out of Nicole’s face lovingly. Nicole just handed the picture to Waverly as tears began to well in her eyes again. Waverly took the picture and looked closely at it, leaning towards the candle for the light.

“Chrissy?” Waverly looked at the picture confused when she recognised her childhood friend. Nicole tilted her head at this.

“You know the girl?” Nicole asked holding back tears.

“Yeah...do you?” Waverly replied now confused.

“No...I know the guy?” Nicole replied with a drawn-out reply as her face fell into a frown. Waverly pulled the photo closer to her face to focus on the man when her eyes widened.

“You know Nedley?!” Waverly exclaimed.

“He was the guy I travelled with, he found me when I was a kid and looked after me...” Nicole couldn’t believe they both knew a person from that photo.

“Oh my god, this is crazy! Then what happened to Chrissy and her mom?” Waverly was flabbergasted by the new information. Nicole just gulped and shook her head, showing it was bad news.

“He...he said they were killed...there was nothing he could do...he found me a couple of weeks after it happened...,” Nicole told her regretfully.

“Oh god, Chrissy,” Waverly exclaimed dropping the photo and covering her mouth with her hand.

“So this is where he lived, what are the chances that we would end up in your old town of the house of the guy I travelled with, and you knew his daughter...this is insane,” Nicole couldn’t believe the degrees of separation that were happening. How could she be so linked to a woman she had only recently met, like they were meant to meet.

“It’s like fate...like we were meant to meet and come here...no that sounds crazy but I just can’t wrap my head around this...so seeing him upset you,” Waverly said mirroring Nicole's thoughts.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen his face in such a long time; I guess it was just a shock,”

“I’m not surprised, he was such a big part of your life but at least you have a great way of remembering him and what better way than living in his home and building a new life?”

“Are you sure, are you going to be ok living where you grew up?” Nicole asked now more concerned about Waverly’s wellbeing.

“Why not, I was thinking about it in the shower, I should look at being here as a good thing rather than bad, to think about the good times and not about what I lost,” Waverly told Nicole whilst tracing patterns up and down the Redhead’s arm in a soothing manner. “But are you going to be living here? I’d understand if you wouldn’t be comfortable now,”

Nicole shook her head. “I’ll be fine I promise like I said it was just shock. I might keep the photo up here though, I’m not ready to see his face again though,” She half joked.

“We can do that and who knows maybe one day you’ll be ready to look at it again...when it doesn’t hurt too much,” Waverly sympathised and she guided her and Nicole off of the floor. “Come on, let’s clean this face-up and we can go explore the town more, maybe find some food?”

“Yeah ok,” Nicole returned a small smile. The two women blew out the lit candles and made their way out of the attic together hand in hand.

***

They spent the rest of the day making their way around town, looking for any signs of life and collecting supplies that they may need. After the seriousness that had occurred earlier that morning, Waverly did what she could to keep Nicole happy and distracted. Finding her in such a state like that was heartbreaking, Nicole was always full of light and sunshine, Waverly wasn’t even sure Nicole was capable of being sad. She had never really known Nedley well when she was younger, he was always the man who was Chrissy’s dad or the man who worked with Daddy but he obviously had a big impact on Nicole. He was like a surrogate dad; he looked after her when she had nobody when she was truly helpless. Waverly could really tell now why Nicole lived in such a dream world most of the time, so she could avoid the pain inside, so she wouldn’t have to deal with any unresolved issues. She felt helpless not knowing what she could do to make the Redhead feel more healed inside, all she could do was prove that she would always be there so she can become someone who she could really open up to.

So once they got home, Waverly sent Nicole to go for a Zombie patrol whilst she prepared dinner for them and so she get on with her secret plan too. Once she knew Nicole was out of view, Waverly made her way upstairs and collected all the blankets and pillows that she could find and brought them back downstairs. She began to pull the sofa and armchair to the side of the room and it wasn’t with great ease. She managed to knock over three dusty ornaments and even got the chair stuck on the rug, barely having the strength to lift it up and out of the way. After that struggle, she quickly pulled all the dining chairs in and placed them in a rectangular shape so she could cover the top of them with one of the large blankets. Then she climbed underneath and laid out the remaining blankets and scattered the pillows around. She then ran to the kitchen and collected the cans of fruit cocktail she found and brought them to the homemade tent. Then finally she ran up to the attic and collected the candles from there and a couple more that she found on the way back downstairs. She placed them all around the outside of the tent, making sure they weren’t close to anything that could burn and lit them. Making sure she found a can opener and two spoons in the mess that was a kitchen and the large bottle of water they acquired and took them to the tent. After one final check to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, Waverly looked out the window to see the sun was beginning to set so Nicole would definitely be on her way back.

After a couple of hours of Nicole just flying around with little success of spotting any zombies, she headed home before it got dark. She didn’t like the thought of leaving Waverly for so long but she was very persistent with wanting to stay at home alone so Nicole reluctantly agreed to give the young woman her space. She couldn’t help but think that after the incident in the attic that she had freaked her out. What if it was something Waverly didn’t want to see and was now rethinking their living situation. Waverly had done her best to try to keep her smile on her face but it was almost as if she was lost in her own thoughts a little. It was the least they had spoken since the day they first met. It was unnerving to Nicole and she had somehow got lost in her own mind, a place she never wanted to be trapped, she needed to pull herself out of this funk. She missed not feeling things, she thought the fly would help but if anything it just made her think more. She just had to do her best to try and be normal once she was back with Waverly.

Landing at the back of their new home, Nicole arrived back just in time for darkness to set in. The house was dark, she thought Waverly would’ve had a fire going out back by now but instead, there was just an eerie silence. Cautiously walking up to the back door, Nicole let herself into the house to find more darkness.

“Waverly?” Nicole called out in the darkness of the kitchen, wondering why she couldn’t hear any movement.

“In here!” Nicole could hear a muffled Waverly call from the living room. So not wanting to walk into anything, Nicole used her new trick and clicked her fingers to make a flame appear so she could see her path. As she reached the doorway to the hallway she could see flickering light dancing on the wall opposite the living room door. Seeing the light she blew out the flame on the hand and followed the dancing shadows. She reached the door and her mouth fell open. Waverly was sat in front of a makeshift tent cross-legged and holding an open can of fruit cocktail with two spoons sat in it with a hopeful smile on her face.

“What is all this?” Nicole asked in awe.

“Well I know it’s been a hard day for you, so I wanted you to feel a bit more comfortable after having to leave the treehouse and then learning where we are now, soooo...Ta Daa!” She raised her arms in the air waiting for the Redhead’s response eagerly.

Nicole had fallen in love right then, she didn’t know it but she could feel it. Her stomach tightened and her body tingled, the kind and thoughtful gesture had such an effect on her. Her face broke into a smile, unable to hide her excitement.

“I love it!” Nicole dove into Waverly’s arms almost knocking her over, causing Waverly to giggle not expecting the bold move. Nicole then took Waverly’s face and kissed her, putting all her happiness into that one kiss. She pulled away leaving the brunette in a slightly pleasurable haze.   
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to do all this,”

“Of course I did,” Waverly replied pulling herself back to reality. “So much has happened lately, lots of things have changed...mostly because of me and I just wanted to do something nice for you, I know it’s not much but I just thought we could hang out in here, just be together and talk...?”

“I’d really like that, but you need to stop blaming yourself, leaving was for the best...now show me this tent!” Nicole exclaimed with a bright smile she couldn’t contain.

They made themselves comfortable in their homemade fort, sitting close to one another so their sides were pressed together, and shared a blanket across their laps. They giggled together as Waverly revelled her struggles of clearing the living room as they happily ate their fruit cocktail, sometimes even feeding each other in a loving manner. Once they finished, they led back so Nicole was on her back and Waverly was snuggled into her side, lazily tracing patterns along the seams of Nicole’s shirt with the sensation sending shivers down the Redhead’s spine.

“I like this...you know being here with you...I’m glad I found you,” Nicole told Waverly breaking the calm silence.

“So am I otherwise this would be a very different conversation,” Waverly teased. Nicole tickled Waverly’s sides making the small brunette squeal closer into the Redhead’s side. Nicole snuck her arm around Waverly’s shoulder, feeling the need to lessen the space between them.

“I mean it though, I’ve never met anyone who really gets me, people have always told me I talk too much or everything I say is just nonsense but you just accept me,”

“I’m glad too, you’re so unique and it just makes you the amazing person that you are, I never want you to be any different than who you are,” Waverly finished her sentence by leaning up and kissing Nicole slow and passionately. They both pulled away satisfied and fell back into their previous position.  
“I don’t want you to feel you have to but I’d love to hear about your time with Nedley? I’d want to hear about the many adventures that you went on if it’s too hard I understand,” Waverly nervously asked not wanting to spoil their time together by upsetting Nicole.

Nicole looked into Waverly’s frightened eye as she anticipated the answer.

“I was 7 when I met Nedley, I’d been hiding with friends at school but seven-year-olds weren’t the best survivalists...some left to try and find their parents and never came back, the rest died. I was scavaging for food when he found me, that's when I came at him with a baseball bat. I thought he was a zombie (Nicole laughed to herself) He moved so slow I didn’t think he was alive. When he realised I was alone he said he’d help me find my family and then that was it, we ended becoming each other’s family,” Nicole told Waverly who had now shifted her body so she was more level with the taller woman.   
“We never stayed in place for long, he always seemed really unsettled but I didn’t mind, I loved finding new places, we did live on a farm for 6 months and I loved it, I just wish that there had been animals but you know me, it didn’t stop me pretending,”

“I was the same with the Homestead,” Waverly mused as memories flooded her mind listening to Nicole’s story.

“What’s the Homestead?” Nicole asked. Waverly shifted to look at Nicole more, she wasn’t planning to talk about her past yet but in the safe environment of their homemade solitude, she just kept going.

“I lived there when I was growing up, it’s just on the outskirts of town with its own land, I haven’t been there since my father and sister died,” Waverly admitted sadly.

“Is that why you didn’t suggest going there when we realised where we are?” Waverly nodded her head despondently.

“I’m not ready to go there yet, I only have a few memories from when I lived there but enough that I don’t want to face them,” Nicole tilted Waverly’s chin to look at her, her eyes filled with empathy.

“And I won’t make you, I’m happy where we are right now, with you,” Waverly eyes glossed with tears.

“How can you be so lovely? It can’t be real?” Waverly cooed.

“You’re right, I’m not. I’m really undercover and going to take you back to my overlord,” Nicole teased with a childish grin.

“But the movie twist happens and you fall in love with me and betray him and we run away together forever Mwhaha!” Waverly laughed happily joining in until she saw Nicole’s face drop and a blush rise across her face. “I...I mean...”

“I could be you know...I know it’s only been a couple of weeks but I feel like something could be happening...I'm feeling things I don't understand but I know it's because of you and those feelings...seem to be getting stronger every day,” Nicole admitted, doing her best not to get tongue-tied as she nervously admitted her feelings. Waverly leant forward and kissed Nicole passionately, putting all her feelings into the kiss. The kiss quickly got heated, soon there were hands running through each other’s hair, Waverly moved to straddle Nicole so she could feel closer. They rushed their motions just so they could feel each other’s body. The world disappeared for a few minutes, only them and their desires existed. After a few minutes of finally giving into their inhibitions the two women pulled apart to catch their breath, leaning their foreheads together. Waverly brushed her hand through Nicole’s hair, pushing it behind her ear.

“I feel the same, I’ve felt it for a while but didn’t want to scare you away, this is all so new for both of us,”

“We should take it slow though, I mean like you say it's new, I want us to get to know each other more, you deserve to feel comfortable,” Nicole says quietly, suddenly nervous by where the heated kiss was about to lead if they hadn’t have stopped but hoping the other women didn't notice. Waverly looked into Nicole’s eyes, she could see the fear in the woman. Waverly guessed that Nicole wasn’t experienced in the world of romance and dating but neither was she. It was hard to meet anyone in a world where people were lucky to survive longer than 6 months at a time. So hearing Nicole ask to take things slow brought her a sigh of relief. She always told herself if she was ever going to be intimate it would be with someone who she loved and if she was intimate with Nicole, she wanted them both to be 100% and completely ready.

“You’re right...so how about you carry on telling me about your adventures, I want to know more about the magnificent Nicole Haught,” Waverly replied stroking Nicole’s cheek. Nicole gave Waverly a soft chaste kiss.

“Ok, get comfy,” Nicole told the small women. Happily Waverly climbed off of Nicole and led back into Nicole’s side as the Redhead continued to regale Waverly with more stories of her travels late into the night. Until the candles went out by themselves and the two women fell in to a comfortable slumber in their tent as a new chapter started for the two of them.


	8. Chapter 8

Another week had passed and life was just getting better for the two women. After going back into town to collect more supplies the day after their blessed evening together, both of them didn’t even notice they never went back out. They wanted to do their best to improve their new home and make it their own.

Waverly started on the inside whilst Nicole worked on the outside. First Waverly made a point to collect any mementoes or pictures that would remind Nicole of Nedley and stored them with the rest of the belongings in the attic. She made sure to keep it all covered properly so not to ruin anything in the hopes that one day Nicole would be able to interact with all the reminders of her past without getting so upset. Then she spent the rest of the week cleaning everywhere in the house, she wasn’t sure how long it had been abandoned for but it had definitely managed to collect some questionable smells and other types of moulds and fungus’s that shouldn’t be seen by living people. Every day she assigned herself a new room to clean and gave it her own personal touch. She would break into neighbouring houses and collect decorations or objects that she could use to her advantage.  
Ever since they admitted their own developing feelings Waverly created a new motivation to move on with her life and open a new doorway.  
Since she was a child, the thought of actually having a real home was never on the cards or so she thought. Living in a world where towns had been abandoned and all sense of normalcy was removed and society was a thing of the past. Nobody knew how to live among each other properly without using blackmail and violence as a form of currency. Well at least that was what life was like where Waverly came from, she lived in an enclave filled with selfish arrogance and fear.

This house and Nicole was her new start, she could be anyone she wanted to be and no one to tell her otherwise. With every room she cleaned, she imagined all the memories she was to create with Nicole, which made decorating the room so much easier with knowing how she wanted to position furniture and make it more welcoming for the pair of them. Waverly hated being away from Nicole for too long these days, she just always wanted her to be nearby but she knew she would be no help to the superhuman in the garden, so splitting the work was a much smarter idea.

Elsewhere Nicole had big plans for the outside of the house, she had always loved being outside and hated being confined indoors for too long, it made her feel trapped and claustrophobic, she needed to feel free. Since she had gained her abilities that need to be outside grew exponentially. She could feel her connection with nature grow stronger every day like a silent language had been created between the two. It’s almost as if Mother Nature was talking to Nicole, making her slowly understand what their connection is and how they rely on each other for strength and protection. She was happy to live in the house with Waverly but also needed her own escape so she could fully embrace who she was.  


Nicole spent the first day of their big clean up sat in the middle of the garden. She observed her surroundings so she could really pinpoint what she was going to do. The garden was quite large, surrounded by a 6-foot fence. At the end of the garden was short stocky tree with a large, deep, dark green crown above it to make up for the lack of height. Along the edge of the fences were old flower beds that had withered and died over time. Other than that the garden was very plain and basic but Nicole could see the potential instantly, she wanted it to be a safe haven. Nicole wanted the garden to be a surprise for Waverly as well so she covered all the windows at the back of the house so Waverly wouldn’t be tempted to look out whilst she took to tackling the house.

So after her day of contemplation, the rest of the week was planned out in her mind. She knew that she could get all the work done in a couple of hours but as she planned to use her extraordinary abilities, she decided to spread the work out. Not wanting to run the risk of burning herself out in case an emergency happened, she worked on getting her vision done over spaced periods. Her first job was one that didn’t require powers, strictly human and it took her all day. Finding some old rusty gardening equipment at the back of the garden, one lucky thing was an ancient-looking lawn mower that didn't need electric, she just had to use it manually. Doing her best to push it through the grown out grass was exhausting, every muscle in her body ached, and she was using muscle’s that hadn’t used in a long time. She had to admit since gaining her powers she had grown lazy in some ways. With her naturally built figure she never really had to work out anymore and having powers made it so tasks were a lot easier but trying with the manual labour made her think she should go back to basics and actually act more like a human whenever she had the chance. One positive was the look on Waverly’s face when she went into the house for water and the young brunette couldn’t help but stare at Nicole lustfully. Her body was covered in sweat making her white t-shirt stick to rather intimate areas of her body and the muscles in her arm were more defined than usual. Waverly got hot and bothered just imagining what the Redhead could be doing outside and when she watched her down a bottle of water Waverly couldn’t stand it any longer and had to leave the room. Nicole looked so rugged and she just wanted to pounce on her and rip the shirt right off of her. This had made Nicole chuckle and impressed that she could have that kind of effect on Waverly; it was a nice confidence boost.

Her next job was the flower beds and amongst the equipment, she had also found a gardening fork. So she made quick work of pulling up all the dead flowers and weeds out of the ground and then flipped the dried out soil to replace it with more moist dirt from beneath. That’s where she finished with her human manual labour as the rest of the week was just her and her powers. So gathering the seeds that she had found in the local store in town, she ripped open the packets and sprinkled them out on the floor in front of her and then concentrating her mind, she lifted all of the seeds into the air and instructed them where to go, evenly spreading them out and embedding them deep into the Earth of the newly dug flower bed.

“Right, let’s get you watered so we can have an endless amount of carrots and potatoes...maybe I should have got other seeds too? Screw it I like carrots...now rain my pretty!” Nicole did a fake cackling out loud as she rose her arms up and summoned the rain to fall. The heaven’s opened hearing Nicole’s call and fell all around her, never leaving the circumference of the house. Nicole’s control of her powers was slowly improving, having more structure in her life and support from Waverly definitely made it easier for her to think clearly, opening up her vision of what she wanted to do, rather than the nervous and awkward energy that occupied her body before.  
A minute later after Nicole was sure that the flower beds had plenty of water she sent the rain away. Paving the way for the sun to return and bake down on the Earth.

After this was Nicole’s biggest job, she left it last on purpose, after waiting two days so she could conserve her energy she returned to the garden. Knowing when she built her treehouse she had been completely depleted of energy afterwards and didn’t want to have that happen again. Since arriving in town Nicole missed her old home so much, it was where she had begun her new story and she was desperate to have that back but when she inspected the garden and saw what she had to work with, it almost seemed impossible.   
Nicole went over to the tree and sat at its edge in front of the short and wide trunk. Getting in a crossed legged position and closing her eyes, it almost looked like she was going to meditate. She lifted both hands and placed them on the trunk. She just kept taking deep breaths as she continued to picture her design in her mind until the tree listened. The floor started to rumble beneath her and the tree shook. The wide trunk slowly started to rise so that the tree was a little bit higher, thinning out the trunk itself gradually. Then the crown of the tree bent over, creating a large shadow that surrounded Nicole, it looked like it was bowing down to her. Then the branches and twigs in the centre of the crown started to wrap themselves around each other, like someone was knitting together the parts of the tree in a cross stitch pattern, creating a roof that was so tightly weaved there was no chance of water getting through and was perfectly hidden by the leaves from the top but seeing the gorgeous design from underneath.

Nicole pulled her hands away after the first part was done, it was a slow process that took a couple of hours and drained the Redhead of a lot of energy. Not even looking at her creation or the start of it, she led back down on the floor and closed her eyes. Taking slow deep breaths the ground gifted Nicole with energy; it rose up through the ground and seeped into Nicole’s skin without her knowing. She fell into a blissful sleep, exhausted from the first part of her job but with the help of natural energy pouring into her body, she didn’t slumber too long. Awaking a couple of hours later Nicole woke feeling so much better and so much more energized. Looking up at the sun she could tell it was now late afternoon and knew she was running out of time. She had made a deal with Waverly that they would both be done by the end of the week and today was Friday, she needed to finish today, the anticipation of showing Waverly what she had accomplished excited her so much.

Climbing off the ground Nicole took a step back to take in her progress so far. She hadn’t expected to get as far as she had in such little time, building the treehouse had taken a couple of days, perhaps she had become stronger since that point. So giving herself until nightfall and see what she had around that could help, she could see a shed in the garden next door. Concentrating on the tree, one of the branches shot out and wrapped itself around the shed. It lifted it into the air effortlessly and turned it on its side so the door was facing the floor. The branch then swiftly started to shake the shed up and down like a ketchup bottle as the door flew open and junk came crashing out on to the ground below. The branch then preceded to the pull the shed into the garden and rested it down in front of Nicole. Nicole then lifted herself into the air so she could get a better view of her work. She walked around the top of the tree as though there was an invisible floor beneath her, flight was becoming a lot easier the more she did it, not even acknowledging she was doing it sometimes, like in that current moment.

Having a better idea, Nicole started to move her hands like a conductor again as the panels of the shed separated and floated up to the middle of the tree. Moulding themselves all around the outside of the trunk like an uneven pathway and then with what was left of the boards they went to the side of the trunk that was facing the back of the house. They aligned themselves into a disjointed diamond shape and attached itself to the path that had been created; making it look like a hut underneath the crown roof as it attached to the side of the tree. The rumbling returned when the tree could continue the design that Nicole had described to it earlier. The trunk began to stretch again but this time horizontally but only in front of the diamond panel creating a small nook inside the trunk with an improvised bench-like seat. Lowering her body back to the ground, she walked up to the tree trunk and dragged her fingertips across the bark, thick strips of wood shot out of the tree below the panel creating a rustic stairwell which carried you about six feet off the ground, much more secure than the rope ladder.

Finally being able to relax, her work was done. It wasn’t the treehouse that she wanted but the hut was a much better substitute. It was a beautiful space where she and Waverly could lay in the evenings under the stars, somewhere they could watch the world go by in. Already picturing how she would spend time with Waverly there, Nicole knew how to complete her work. She placed a large empty metal barrel that she had acquired at the edge of the diamond panel, so they could have their fires up there to keep warm and then stitched together fallen leaves to make a soft bedding to go in the nook to sit on and then she figured she could take blankets and pillows up when they were needed.

In all her haste and concentration Nicole hadn’t noticed the sky go dark when a hitched breath came from behind her. Nicole turned to find Waverly stood at the back door with her arms wrapped around herself in the cold night air to see Nicole’s beautiful creation.

“It’s beautiful,” Waverly said in awe. Nicole’s smile returned at the sight of her angel, forgetting how exhausted her body felt.

“You really like it? I could do more...-,” Waverly ran over to Nicole and wrapped her arms around her neck stopping Nicole mid-sentence. She pulled back shaking her head with a huge grin.

“It’s perfect and it’s ours,” The two women kissed for a moment both pulling back with the same dopey smile. “I think we should eat out here tonight,”

“What about the house? You’ve been sorting it all week?”

“The house can wait, this is amazing and beautiful plus we should make the most of it before winter sets in,”

“Winter? Pff I’m the weather lady baby, I’ll just build us a big old fire pit, who needs to worry about the cold?” Nicole joked with her hands on her hips, looking into the distance. Waverly swatted at Nicole.

“You’re so silly...now help me get the blankets, I don’t fancy a homemade inferno in the garden keeping me warm...if we had neighbours...they would talk,” Nicole laughed as Waverly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the house. "Also veto on weather lady, you deserve a much better alter ego,"

***

Later that night, Waverly and Nicole had resided themselves to the new hut at the back of the garden. After they had finished eating Nicole had set a fire in the barrel and they led out the blankets and pillows in front of it for them to lie on. Snuggling up together in the evening had become a daily occurrence since their evening together in the tent especially since they had spent the rest of the week on their own respective tasks and minimal time together. Feeling the warmth come from each other’s body made them so content and they didn’t care where they were as long as they could always hold each other at the end of the day. Since admitting their developing feelings things had progressed quickly and it was beginning to grow difficult to keep their hands to themselves. So laying front of the fire they would steal kisses and touches every chance they got until it became too heated and one of them would always find a reason to pull away. Luckily it happened so often now they wouldn’t become awkward, it was just another thing for them to laugh about, being on the same page of how they wanted their physical relationship to progress definitely helped. So after a short make-out session, Nicole had made a gap in her crown roof so they could look at the stars.

“I think that looks like a cherry with a knotted stem...,” Nicole said as she started using the stars like a dot to dot book.

“Hmm...And look underneath it, it looks like it’s sat on the roof of a car. A cherry getting a free ride,” Waverly giggled joining in the game.

“I could so go for a cherry right now, I can’t remember the last time I ate one,” Nicole reminisced as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Building the hut had really wiped her out but wasn’t ready to not be around Waverly so forced herself to stay awake.

“I never liked them,” Waverly admitted casually. Nicole sat up on her elbows and looked at Waverly in dismay.

“How?” Waverly just shrugged at Nicole who laughed in response and led back down next to the small brunette. “Tell me a story?” Nicole asked quietly trying to disguise her sleepy tone.

“What kind of story?” Waverly asked lovingly, not even questioning whether or not she should do it. She could tell the Redhead was tired and could see her fighting sleep like a small child; it was adorable, not saying anything so she could soak in Nicole’s sweet behaviour.

Nicole just shrugged and snuggled into Waverly so her head was led on her chest and Waverly’s arm was wrapped around her back, stroking soothing lines up and down. “I dunno make something up,”

“Ok,” Waverly thought for a moment as she continued to look into the night sky. “Once upon a time there was a girl who was a superhero who lived in a treehouse in the woods when one day she had to save a damsel in distress. The girl had fled into the forest to escape her horrible family...,”

“The girl is totally you!” Nicole mumbled.

Waverly just smiled and carried on her story. “The superhero found the girl and saved her life in so many ways. They soon created a bond and decided to live happily ever after together,” Nicole gave a soft chuckle into Waverly’s chest. “They ran away together to build a new home, the girl could finally get away from her past, never having to live in fear or look over her shoulder again. And hope that the superhero she was falling in love with never discovered her secret, never discovered the truth for that girl wouldn’t handle losing her love. There are a lot of things done in this world, a lot of them to keep yourself alive and the superhero just wouldn’t understand even if they were destined to be together...,” A tear escaped from Waverly’s eyes as she continued to look up at the sky. A small part of her hoped that Nicole would pick up on her admission so she could finally let go of all the guilt but sadly she didn’t. She looked down to the woman on her chest that had fallen into a slumber during the story. She leant her head down to place a deep kiss on Nicole’s forehead before laying her head back down. She pulled Nicole closer into her embrace like her life depended on them being connected.

“...but until then they lived. Happily. Ever. After,” Waverly closed her eyes, breathing in Nicole’s sweet scent and falling into her own slumber.


	9. Chapter 9

A couple of nights later the two women were sat in the middle of the living room playing cards with a set Waverly had found when clearing the house. They were on their 4th game of gin rummy and everything was just perfect. Waverly had never felt so content in her life and she knew Nicole was the main reason for that. Every moment together was just so easy and it didn’t matter what they were doing because it just felt so natural all the time.

“So I’ve been thinking,” Waverly started saying to get Nicole’s attention away from the cards.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Nicole inquired.

“Well I’ve been really starting to feel at home lately and comfortable where we are and well...maybe we could finally do some more exploring like at the Homestead...,”

“Are you sure? I thought you weren’t ready to deal with those memories?” Nicole asked with a tone of confusion as she placed the cards down.

“Well I’m not, not really but things have been going so well and I realised I’m never going to be able to really move on with my life until I face my past...,” Waverly admitted with a small voice.

“So when were you thinking of going?”

“Tomorrow?”

“That soon?”

“Might as well rip the band-aid whilst I’ve got the balls,” Waverly gave a soft chuckle. “And whilst I have you next to me if you’ll come? You make me feel safe and I know I’ll deal with whatever comes knowing I have you,”

“Me coming isn’t a question, you could ask me to fly to mars and do a hula dance and I’d probably do it, I’m here for you always,” Nicole told a glossy-eyed Waverly. She reached across and squeezed the brunette’s hand. “We’re a team you and me, we’re each other’s back brace,” Nicole leant over and kissed Waverly on the forehead and then grabbed her cards to get back to the game.

Waverly just stared on at Nicole, her heart was racing and her body was vibrating. Listening to Nicole’s total acceptance of her choices, never judging her actions or decisions just cemented what she had already decided. She was in love with Nicole, finding her was the best thing that ever happened to her. Nicole had wandered back into her own world again as she waited for Waverly to respond or return to the game. So while Nicole talked away to the cards like no one else was in the room, Waverly couldn't help but watch on it and it gave her the confidence to forget caution and just give in to letting go. So climbing up off the floor, Waverly reached her hand out in front of Nicole.

“I’m going to bed Nicole, will come with me?” Waverly asked quietly. Nicole looked up with a frown and rested her cards back down.

“Bed? It’s still early...didn’t you want to play a couple more games or talk or something?” Nicole asked not understanding what was happening.

“No Nicole. I thought we could go to bed...together,” Waverly said really emphasizing the last word. Nicole continued to frown as she looked back at Waverly until it dawned on her what was actually being suggested and her frown turned into a surprised look. Taking a breath Nicole just reached out and took the offered hand and Waverly led them both silently up the stairs.

Every step made Nicole’s heart pound faster and faster, she was suddenly so nervous. This was something that she had wanted for such a long time but fear was setting in. Nicole had no clue of what she was going to do, she never even had the sex talk because no one ever had to it give to her, Nicole never met anyone she was attracted to or was around her age and the most Nedley told her was the basics of how babies were made, was very little information and now she felt like she was going in blind. It’s the weakest she’s felt in her whole life, she could hide behind her jokes and just get through it all but this time, she was about to really show her whole self to another person.

They both entered the master bedroom with Waverly still in front; not looking back Waverly carefully slid her shoes off and rested them to the side of the room. She then grabbed a candle from the bedside table and walked over to Nicole.

“Would you mind,” Waverly asked tilting the candle in Nicole’s direction. A still nervous Nicole just nodded her head and clicked her fingers, letting Waverly light the candle. Waverly then moved away as Nicole got rid of the flame and made her way around the bed, stopping every couple of seconds to light another candle until they were all lit and there was a dull glow to the room. Finally, she placed the last candle back on the table and made her way to the edge of the bed and sat down carefully looking to Nicole as she patiently waited.

Nicole watched on as Waverly silently waited on the bed, she knew she couldn’t stand there all night, so mirroring Waverly she pulled her shoes off making sure not to fall over with the numbness in her legs that was taking over. Then she placed them to the side of the room and made her way over to the bed and sat down next to Waverly, placing her hands in her lap not quite sure what to do next. Warmth spread over Nicole’s hand when she looked down to Waverly’s hand covering hers. She looked from their hands up to Waverly with a faltered smile.

“Are you ok?” Waverly asked in almost a whisper. Nicole just nodded her, her words getting trapped like a lump in her throat. “If you’re not ready for this, it’s ok; we can wait as long as you want,”

“No...I am ready, I’m just...,” Nicole started but too ashamed to admit.

“You’re just what honey?” Waverly ask not wanting to make Nicole feel pressured but at the same time trying to hide her own insecurities. Building the courage to ask Nicole upstairs was the easy part but now they were sat together, ready to take their relationship to the next stage. Waverly wasn’t naive to what sex was, growing up around the revenants desensitised her quite a bit. She was always in the vicinity of hearing people in the moment together or listening to the discussions of drunken men in the evenings from a very young age but never had the pleasure of experiencing the act herself. She had always liked to be pre-prepared for every task but there was no way of preparing for this, all she knew was that she would just have to go with the flow and trust that her natural instincts would take over.

“I just...I don’t want to (Nicole’s head falls back, looking up at the ceiling as she searched for the right words) ...I have no clue what to...you know...don't make me say it!” Nicole managed to say now covering her face in embarrassment. Waverly laughed at the shy Nicole in front of her, she pulled Nicole’s hands away from her face and turned her face to look at Waverly.

“You can say the word sex...we’re both adults,” Waverly teased a little trying to get Nicole more comfortable with the situation.

“Sorry, this can’t be what you wanted, a bumbling mess,” Nicole apologised, too embarrassed to look Waverly in the eye.

“And you think I’m not nervous,” Waverly replied a little stunned.

“No...You seem so cool and collected, natural even,” Nicole shrugged. Waverly's mouth hung open a little listening to the Redhead, a breathy laugh escaped her lips.

“I couldn’t be less natural, I’m terrified. I have no clue what I’m doing...All I do know is that I want to experience all of this with you,” Having another surge of courage, Waverly edged her face closer to Nicole’s. Just as her mouth was centimetres away from Nicole’s she stopped, waiting for Nicole to accept the invitation. Looking at the expectant lips in front of her, Nicole paused for a moment thinking about what Waverly had just told her, she knew that Waverly was right, they would be together. She just needed to remember that she trusted Waverly completely and so she took the plunge.

Their lips connected slowly, both giving the other the time to change their mind before they both realised how much they wanted each other. The kiss became heated and a little messy as the women’s hands roamed over each other’s bodies, the tension between the two had been building for so long it finally hit boiling point. They both fell down on to the bed as they kissed in rushed movements. Instinctively the women pulled themselves up the bed so they were lying against the pillows. They rolled around pulling at each other desperately, just wanting to feel one another until Nicole was towering over Waverly, her leg falling in between the brunettes. The kiss grew stronger as Nicole began to grind back at forth making neediness grow in between Waverly’s thighs. Waverly moaned at the manoeuvre, unable to repress how good it felt.

They stayed like that for a while, Nicole just grinding back and forth as they kissed and continued to explore each other’s bodies with their hands. Waverly noticed that their position hadn’t changed in a while and Nicole clearly didn’t know what to do next, everything felt so good but the brunette wanted to feel more, she wanted to feel closer to the gorgeous woman on top of her. Reaching her hands up to clasp Nicole’s face passionately, she smoothly flipped the two of them so she was now on top of a shocked Nicole. Nicole had a lost expression on her face that couldn’t be missed, so Waverly leant down and kissed the Redhead to show that she hadn’t done anything wrong. Pulling back she slowly unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a plain white bra with soft pert breasts. Nicole’s breath hitched at the sight, Waverly looked stunning.

“Holy shit!” Nicole reacted out loud making Waverly giggle.

Nicole wasn’t one to really swear so Waverly took it as a good thing as she bent back down to kiss Nicole once again. Nicole’s found her hands on Waverly’s back feeling the smooth skin under her fingers, sending little bolts of electric through Waverly, with every touch making her more aroused. With more hurried movements Waverly pulled at Nicole’s top as she found the bottom and began to pull it up. Watching for any hesitation she continued as Nicole lifted her as arms as they broke their kiss for the rest of the top to be removed. Waverly pulled back to witness the half-naked torso in front of her. Nicole’s abs were well defined by her smooth white skin and her breasts even more so emphasised underneath her sports bra.

Waverly kissed her way up Nicole’s stomach taking in every taste as she made her way up to Nicole’s neck, lightly nipping at her skin, exciting the Redhead. Nicole began to tremble as her nerves kicked back in. Waverly could feel Nicole’s hands shake against her, so she reached around and took one of Nicole’s shaking hands and placed a kiss on her palm.

“Do you trust me?” Waverly whispered looking in to the scared Redhead’s eyes.

Nicole silently nodded. Laying her body down next to Nicole, Waverly continued to look straight into Nicole’s eye as she guided Nicole’s hand down to the waistband of her jeans. With her hand onto the top of Nicole’s interlacing her finger through the back of Nicole’s, she directed their hands under the band to the top of her underwear where her throbbing vagina waited to be touched. Placing Nicole’s hand down, she pulled her hand back and kissed the nervous super-being. As Nicole relaxed into the kiss her hand began to subconsciously cup the mound underneath her palm. Waverly’s hips rocked into the touch, a tingling sensation rising through her body. Finding it difficult to move, Nicole slowly pulled her hand out of the jeans and slid her hand up to the button, carefully undoing it. Pulling away from Waverly, she slipped her body down the bed, kissing her stomach on the way down and grabbed the waistband and skimmed them down the sun-kissed legs in front of her. After throwing them aside she looked up to Waverly who was now laying on her back looking down at the Redhead at her feet. Waverly's heart was beating through her chest; everything was becoming so much more real now. So taking a leap, she, reached down to her underwear, she pulled them off gently never taking away eye contact, wanting to see Nicole’s reaction and only seeing an enchanted expression looking back up at her.

Not wanting Waverly to feel self conscious and show her appreciation, Nicole stood from the bed and slowly unbuttoned her own jeans and pushed them down to the ground, clumsily stepping out of them. This made Waverly giggle endearingly, making the two women relax a little bit more. Nicole just stood there in her sports bra and underwear with a goofy smile on her face watching the half-naked woman laughing in front of her with her knees bent to her chest and torso led on the bed, waiting for Nicole to return. Taking a deep breath to try and get her racing heart to slow down, Nicole stepped forward and climbed on the bed and crawled to be eye level with Waverly. Leaning forward she took Waverly’s lips as she slid her hand down her sides lightly making Waverly tremble. She found her place back down at Waverly's now naked core and brushed her fingers through her folds, with her fingers finding her clitoris. Waverly jolted at the touch causing her to bite her lip, Nicole looked up at the jolt to see the response.

“It’s ok...keeping going,” Waverly said through closed eyes feeling that Nicole had stopped her movements.

Listening to the haste in Waverly’s voice Nicole continued to rub around Waverly’s clit. Feeling the excited body underneath her, she began to kiss her way down the small body as she had done before until she reached the top of Waverly’s legs. Pulling her hand away, Nicole continued to kiss down and placed her lips where her hand once was. Waverly jumped at the forwardness but didn't stop it, it felt good straight away, she was pulsating inside like an explosion was building. Nicole tongue brushed out and moved further down, exploring her environment. The taste was like nothing she had experienced before and it excited her, making her own vagina throb in anticipation. She moved down, brushing across Waverly’s entrance, sending another surprise jolt through Waverly but not being sure what to do next she moved back up to the clit, placing her lips back around it. Nicole lightly sucked on the throbbing bud, brushing her tongue over the top of it. Waverly started to moan at this motion, so Nicole continued and began to suck a little bit harder. Waverly’s moans grew louder and her breathing more erratic. Nicole peeked up to see one of Waverly’s hand holding on to the bedsheet with a tight fist while her other hand held on to her hair in undeniable ecstasy. The hand in Waverly’s hair shot down to grab one of Nicole’s and pressed it against her own breast, both grasping it together as Nicole continued to suck on the bud. Just wanting to touch Nicole so badly, Waverly shot up and grabbed a shocked Nicole’s shoulders and pulled her away from her vagina and positioned her so she was sat up and Nicole was on her knees in front of her. She grabbed Nicole’s face with fervour and crashed her lips into Nicole’s. The kiss heated up immediately, the taste of herself on Nicole was such a turn on, her core was begging for more. She reached behind her back and undid her bra and pulled it off, exposing herself fully to Nicole. She pulled back so she could let Nicole look at her, she didn’t want to hide her body. Nicole’s mouth fell open, as she eyes roamed over the now naked body, Waverly’s was pure beauty to her.

“You’re so beautiful,” Nicole gasped finally catching up to her own breathing. Waverly let go of a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, the anticipation keeping her in suspense.

“I love you, Nicole Haught,” Waverly admitted under the dim glow quietly but just loud enough for Nicole to hear.

“I love you too Waverly,” Nicole replied without a second thought. They moved in for another kiss, Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly, pulled her bare body into hers. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes, the excitement rising through both of their bodies again and urgency took over.

“...Nicole...,” Waverly mumbled through her kiss. “I want to feel you...inside of me...,” Nicole pulled away and looked at Waverly as a flash of worry crossed her face.

“Will you help me?” She asked nervously. Waverly took Nicole’s hand in her hers.

“Always,” Nicole nodded and kissed Waverly again but this time she guided the brunette back down onto the bed. She began to move her way back down Waverly’s body, kissing over her plump petite breasts, rolling her tongue over her sweet tasting nipples. The pleasure running through Waverly’s body made her impatience grow, she needed to feel Nicole.

“Please baby...I need you,” Waverly called out as she writhed underneath Nicole. So leaving Waverly’s breasts, Nicole moved further down, back to her core. Her movements stopped as her nerves returned, she didn’t want to screw up or hurt Waverly. Sensing the hesitation, Waverly leant up on her elbows and looked to the nervous Redhead.

“Baby, don’t be scared...I trust you, just do whatever you're comfortable with and we’ll go from there,” Waverly calmly told Nicole.

“O..ok,” Nicole replied with a small smile. She dipped her head down and found her place at Waverly’s clit again. Straight away Waverly’s head fell back against the pillow, feeling Nicole’s lips on her.

Nicole gradually began to suck harder and swipe her tongue back and forth over the bud, the throbbing becoming stronger. Waverly’s breathing increased, her hips rocked under Nicole. Nicole could sense Waverly’s enjoyment and her confidence slowly built.

“Please Nicole,” Waverly called out through moans.

Not even hesitating, Nicole slipped her hand from Waverly’s hip to her entrance, her fingers stalled for a moment as she readied herself. Slowly she pushed her fingers forward as she touched the outside of the entrance. The whole area was wet, Nicole hadn’t expected it to feel that way but this was all a new experience and she knew she would have to learn as she went along. Not taking her lips away from Waverly’s bud she slowly and carefully inserted two fingers inside of Waverly. Waverly’s breath hitched straight away and one of her hands grabbed Nicole’s arm stopping her from moving.

“Just don’t move for a second...I just need to get comfortable...just carry on down there,” Waverly smiled down at Nicole with a slightly uncomfortable look, trying her best not to unnerve the already anxious woman.

Waverly didn’t expect to have such an uncomfortable feeling inside of her, her insides felt tight against the foreign object. She knew she wanted it but hadn’t expected the sensation; no one told her there could be slight pain involved. So as Nicole continued to suck on her clitoris Waverly took slow deep breaths, trying to forget the uncomfortable feeling and focus on the nice sensation between her legs. Soon enough she was overcome with the feeling of excitement and without noticing her hips started to rock into Nicole’s hand. Noticing the movement Nicole went with it and began to slowly pump her fingers in and out of Waverly. Waverly’s moans again grew louder, feeling Nicole pump into her caused her hips to jerk. Nicole placed her spare hand over Waverly’s stomach, instinctively trying to calm the movement as she continued her own movements, her pumping gradually speeding up with Waverly’s moans. The sound was turning Nicole on so much; she could feel wetness developing between her own legs.

“Oh god! Faster!” Waverly screamed. Nicole didn’t want to ask for specifics not wanting to ruin the momentum so she sped her fingers up but also sucked harder on Waverly’s clit at the same time, sending the brunette into overdrive. Her legs shook either side of Nicole’s head, with Waverly moaning louder.

“Fuck!” Waverly called out.

Nicole could feel Waverly’s walls begin to tighten around her fingers, trying her best to keep her movement going, she curled her fingers upward so it was tickling the roof of Waverly’s vagina and that was all that was needed. The walls clenched tight and Waverly cried out as her legs shook violently and her chest arched into the air. Nicole could feel Waverly’s clit pulsate against her tongue. Waverly’s orgasm rushed throughout her body, grabbing Nicole, she pulled the woman towards her so she could kiss the Redhead as she rode out her explosion of an orgasm. In the haste, Nicole still continued to pump into Waverly, not too sure of when to stop but before she could ask another wave of heat spread through Waverly as another orgasm developed. Waverly rocked her hips into Nicole harder not wanting to let the feeling go and within minutes a second orgasm struck. Her body trembled as she slowed her rocking motion; she slipped a hand down to Nicole’s arm, silently instructing her to stop. So following the brunette’s movement, she slowed herself down and carefully slid her fingers out as Waverly’s breathing slowed and her body calmed down.

Nicole led on her back next to a flushed Waverly, both catching their breaths. Waverly rolled onto her side and took Nicole’s face to kiss, putting everything she felt into that one kiss. Nicole made her feel so sexy and wanted and the way she touched her felt amazing. She pulled away and instead straddled Nicole. She pushed her hands up Nicole’s toned stomach and onto her breasts, taking a firm grasp and massaging into them. Nicole’s breath caught in her throat as the gesture sent a shock down to her core. It was a nice feeling that she wasn’t familiar with but she just knew that Waverly made it feel good. Guiding her hands over the fabric, Waverly curled her fingers under the hem of the sports bra; she looked at Nicole waiting for permission who just nodded in return. Lifting her arms to help remove the fabric, revealing two plump breasts with light pink nipples. Waverly placed her mouth over one of the nipples and nipped at it, sending more shocks throughout Nicole. Waverly had never been more attracted to a person than she did at that moment, seeing Nicole half naked did things to the brunette, she couldn't think of a word that would perfectly describe Nicole’s beauty. She moved over to the other breast and continued to massage the other breast with her hand. She could hear Nicole breath’s hitch above her, a noise she definitely enjoyed.

So taking her attention away from Nicole’s breasts she ran a hand back down Nicole’s front until she reached the underwear, she carefully slipped her hand underneath them but as she placed her hand on Nicole’s core the Redhead shot up in shock and Waverly immediately pulled her hand away.

“Sorry! I shouldn’t have assumed!” Waverly apologized to a trembling Nicole, keeping her hands to her chest. Nicole just shook her head and placed her hand on top of Waverly’s.

“No, you were fine! I just...uh...sorry (Nicole look defeated) I got scared...,” The Redhead admitted, embarrassed that she had spoiled the mood. Waverly tilted her head and looked at Nicole, relieved that she hadn’t done anything wrong. She moved her hand and took Nicole’s face.

“It’s ok...we can stop if you want, I don’t mind,” Waverly reassured the nervous woman.

“I don’t want to stop...can we just go a bit slower?”

“Of course baby, we can go at whatever pace you want. I just want you to feel safe,” The two women kissed again, Nicole melted into the kiss quickly, it was always had a calming effect on her.

They soon lowered themselves back down onto the bed with Waverly lying on top of Nicole. Waverly took her cue as the kiss grew heated; she moved her way along Nicole’s neck and down her body again but this time stopping as she got to the underwear. She curled her fingers under the hem and looked to Nicole.

“Is this ok?” Waverly asked permission. Nicole nodded as she watched Waverly’s movements, feeling a bit more relaxed than before.

Waverly stood from the bed and continued to peel Nicole’s underwear off slowly revealing her beautiful mound and slipped them down her soft, long legs. Wanting Nicole to feel as wanted as she did, Waverly crouched down and placed her lips on Nicole’s calf and continued to kiss up her leg until she reached the top and then copied her movement’s one the opposite leg. Nicole’s legs shivered as her vagina throbbed in anticipation. Once Waverly finished her exploration of Nicole’s legs she dragged her fingertips along the outside of Nicole’s legs, as she came to a stop above Nicole’s core. Waverly looked up to see Nicole’s eyes closed her chest rising up and down with ragged breaths, she could tell that Nicole was excited, so slowly lowering herself she placed a soft kiss to Nicole’s core just to test the waters. There was no resistance this time so Waverly pushed a little more and dragged her tongue through Nicole’s luscious slits and landing at her clitoris where she proceeded to draw circles around the Redhead’s bud. Nicole shivered against the touch, it felt so good though, and her body began to vibrate underneath Waverly. Waverly smiled at the action knowing she was filling the Redhead with so much pleasure. Replacing her mouth with her hand, Waverly crawled up Nicole’s body to lie next to her. She kissed Nicole as she slid her hand down to her entrance. Placing her thumb on Nicole’s bud, she began to rub in a circular motion as she slowly inserted two fingers through the soaking wet entrance.

Nicole gasped pulling away from Waverly, the sensation filling her with warmth. Thinking that she had hurt the Redhead, Waverly was about to stop her slow movements when Nicole lunged forward and kissed the brunette. The kiss was heated instantly, her tongue swiping into Waverly’s mouth with urgency. Her hips rocked down onto the fingers inside of her. Waverly welcomed the wild movements as her own libido increased at the Redhead’s obvious enjoyment. Her thumb increased its circulars movements as she pumped faster into Nicole, who welcomed it. Her moans cut through Waverly, exciting the brunette more who started grinding her core against Nicole’s side. Nicole could feel Waverly’s wetness on her and it sent her inside’s wild. Both women carried on their heated kiss as their bodies began to shake in sync.

“Oh god, Nicole! I think...,” Waverly tried to get her words out through rapid breaths.

“Me too! Jesus Waverly!” Nicole replied through ragged moans.

Waverly could feel Nicole’s wall tightening as her fingers sped up, adding twisting motions that really got the Redhead going. Waverly could feel the explosion coming again, the two women locked eyes as they both reached orgasm. Crying out, their sweaty bodies clutched on to each other as they rode it out.

After a few moments, a shaky Waverly slowly removed her fingers and snuggled into Nicole’s side. Both lay silently just listening to each other’s breathing settle down as they fell into a satisfied haze.

“That was amazing,” Nicole blurted out breaking the silence.

“It really was,” Waverly replied with a lazy smile. Nicole turned on her side to face Waverly who mirrored her movements.

“I love you,” Nicole said her face staying serious. Waverly stroked Nicole’s cheek.

“I love you too,” They lightly kissed each other before falling back into each other arm.

Both women lay contently running their hands over each other’s naked bodies. The movements slowly sped up as each woman became more excited, the smell and touch of each other bringing them back into the moment. The women fell back into their urgent movements again as things became heated. The woman continued to explore and pleasure each other’s bodies for the rest of the night, only falling into a content slumber just before daylight. The addiction of not wanting to let each other go, kept them going until there just wasn’t any energy left.

***

The next morning a bright light shot through the gaps in the curtain, streaming across Nicole’s face. She scrunched her eyes at the unwelcomed disturbance. Rolling over, she hit into a lump at her side. Peeking an eye open, Nicole looked down at a sleeping Waverly who was happily snuggled into her side with her arms locked around Nicole’s waist. The events of last night flooded to the front of her mind, the memory of her and Waverly’s bodies intertwined were locked into place. So making sure not to wake the small woman she lifted the duvet over them and looked under quickly before dropping it back down.

“Yep...definitely wasn’t a dream,” Nicole whispered to herself as a smile spread across her face. Placing her hands on the arm wrapped around her, she carefully plucked herself out of the vice grip and stood up out of the bed. Looking down at her body she remembered she was very much naked, so grabbed a pair of shorts and t-shirt and quickly got dressed and headed downstairs.

Nicole made quick work of putting together what she called a ‘gourmet Apocalypse breakfast’ which consisted of heated up tinned tomatoes and beef jerky. She snuck back into the room and sat back on the bed with the tray of food in front of her. She reached forward and started to tickle the tip of Waverly’s nose and received an adorable creased frown.

“Hey Wave’s, wakey wakey,” Nicole whispered.

“Mmmm...Five more minutes,” A sleepy Waverly grumbled. Nicole chuckled at Waverly’s unwillingness to wake up.

“I made breakfast...” Nicole quietly sang. Waverly’s eyes shot open, sitting straight up.

“Ok, I’m awake,” Waverly said with an innocent look on her face as though she hadn’t been half asleep two seconds before. Nicole just laughed and greeted the brunette with a deep kiss.

“Morning,” Nicole cooed in a blissful mood.

“Hmmm morning,” Waverly smiled back, touching her lips where Nicole had just been. “What’s all this for then?”

“Because I wanted to do something nice for you,” Nicole beamed as Waverly picked up a fork and started eating the tomatoes.

“Well thank you, I love it and I love you,” Waverly said with a slight blush. Nicole kissed Waverly causing the blush to disappear.

“I love you too...I also wanted to say thank you for last night,”

“Nicole you don’t need to say thank you, it was wonderful,”

“So I wasn’t...bad?” Nicole asked now taking her turn to blush. Waverly put her fork down and reached for Nicole’s hand.

“Far from it...and to prove it, I think breakfast can wait for now,” Waverly responded with a mischievous grin, grabbing the tray and resting it on the floor. She turned back to Nicole and kissed her as she pulled them back down on to the bed.

One ruined breakfast and a couple of hours of lovemaking later, the two women finally released each other and left the bedroom unwillingly. They set about getting cleaned up and dressed before meeting at the front door.

“You sure you want to go today?” Nicole asked wanting to be sure Waverly was ok with her decision before leaving.

“Yes. If I don’t do it now then I never will,” Waverly stated with a firm nod.

“Ok...want me to pick you up now or wait til we’re outside?” Nicole inquired as she began to loosen her body, reading it for flight.

“Do you mind if we walk? I’d just like to get some of this nervous energy out of me?” Waverly asked meekly. Nicole entwined her hand with Waverly’s and gave it a soft squeeze.

“Anything you want,” And with that, the two women set off on their journey.

***

A couple of hours the two women arrived at their destination. They stopped just outside of the Homestead arch, looking in at the old house and dilapidated barn that welcomed them. It was a far sight from what her childhood memories remembered. So many forgotten memories instantly started flooding her mind. Good and bad they overloaded everything she thought she knew about her past. Not having been there for fifteen years made her forget where she had truly come from. She never thought she would ever return after all her family died she never found a good reason to revisit this place.

Nicole stepped up next to Waverly and wrapped a kind arm around her shoulders.

“Ready to go in?” Nicole asked encouragingly, making sure things stayed light for the smaller woman.

“Ready than I’ll ever be I suppose,” Waverly replied with a shaky laugh. Taking a deep breath, Waverly placed her first step onto the land and Nicole followed in a quick motion. Waverly held onto Nicole tightly as they grew closer to the Homestead door, her legs beginning to feel weak from the nerves. They cautiously climbed the porch steps and landed at the front door. Waverly reached a shaky hand forward for the door handle when Nicole stopped her.

“Let me go in first...just in case,” Nicole said noticing Waverly’s nervous movements, wanting to give her a little bit more time before rushing in.

“Ok,” Waverly nodded whilst knowing Nicole’s real intention but not wanting to argue against it.

Carefully Nicole placed her hand on the door handle and pushed it down, the door was unlocked. Slowly pushing the door open, Nicole stepped in front of Waverly and entered the home. It was dark everywhere and from the state of the place; it looked like someone had been squatting. There were old blankets and pillows spread across the living room and empty whiskey bottles littered the floor. Nicole took a couple more steps into the room to get a better look of where they were. The floorboards creaked to the side of her and before she could turn to inspect the noise a gun cocked at the side of her head. Gulping, Nicole turned towards the sound, to be greeted by the barrel of a shotgun.

“Who the hell are you Red and what are you doing in my house?” A growl came from behind the shotgun. Nicole opened her mouth to respond when she heard another creak and Waverly had entered the home.

“Nonna stop!” Waverly cried into the darkness. The shotgun dropped from a shocked and confused Nicole’s face and an aged Wynonna walked out from the shadows.

“Babygirl? Is that you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was my first ever attempt at any kind of smut style writing, I hope it was ok.  
Thank you to anyone who had followed my story so far, I really appreciate the feedback.  
There's much more to come so I hope you stick with it :)


	10. Chapter 10

“Babygirl? Is that you?” Wynonna asked in shock as her eye’s roamed over the smaller brunette in front of her. She had the same characteristics as her little sister but in the grown-up form that Wynonna wasn’t accustomed to, she found it difficult to tell. Waverly stepped further into the house, with the light streaming behind her through the open door, making her difficult to be seen properly as the light burned Wynonna’s eyes.

“You died...” Waverly stated, blown away by the appearance of her sister, who was a far cry from the seventeen-year-old girl that she once remembered.

“No..._You _died,” Wynonna corrected Waverly. Nicole watched the two women’s interactions with each other; she couldn’t help but feel awkward and confused by everything happening. One second she was looking in what she thought was an empty house, to having a gun shoved in her face to meeting Waverly’s so-called dead sister. The two sisters fell silent in front of Nicole, both finding it difficult to speak with the shock that exhumed their bodies. Nicole cleared her throat, gaining the two brunette’s attention.

“I don’t want to interrupt this...but is someone going to explain what is happening? Neither of you is obviously dead...well you could be. Maybe the zombies evolved and neither of you knew it! No that couldn’t work this place would smell deader rather than sweat and whiskey...” Nicole rambled on, losing track of what she had initially asked with Wynonna listening, her impatience growing slowly whilst Waverly stared on blankly.

“What weirdo factory did you escape from Red? If you’re gonna choose to speak, wait until I have a drink first...,” Wynonna barked at Nicole, as she turned her attention back to Waverly.

“Leave her alone Nonna!” Waverly snapped feeling the tears fill in her eyes like a burning sensation swept along the rim of her eyelids.

“So I’m meant to be ok with phoebe Buffay over here?” Wynonna snapped back, gesturing to a confused Nicole who was now silently mouthing back the reference in confusion.

“Her name is Nicole and you don’t get to judge...I can’t do this!” And with that, an upset Waverly stormed out of the house leaving behind a very quiet Nicole and angry Wynonna. Nicole looked at Wynonna with a nervous gulp.

“I’m just gonna (points in the direction Waverly went)...uh yeah,” Nicole babbled as she quickly walked away before Wynonna could even respond.

The Redhead left the house, closing the front door behind her. She found Waverly leaning on the porch fence with her head hidden in her arms. Nicole walked behind Waverly and wrapped her arms around the small woman’s waist, resting her chin down on her shoulder.

“Hey,” Nicole said softly. Waverly wiped the tears from her face and leaned back into Nicole’s embrace, resting her face against the Redhead’s.

“Sorry I ran away,” The young woman sighed in defeat. “I just don’t know how to deal with this, ten minutes ago she was still dead and now she’s here, you’d think she’d at least seem happy, ya know? Instead, she’s still that angry and rude Wynonna,”

“I’m sure it’s a shock for both of you, you don’t need to apologise, you saw me when I found Nedley’s picture and that was way less important than this. You don’t know what happened to Wynonna since you last saw her; maybe she doesn’t know how to be?” Nicole sympathised.

“That doesn’t give her reason to be so rude!” Waverly turned around in Nicole’s arms to face her. “I haven’t seen her in 10 years, Nicole. I don’t know that woman in there...not anymore,” Nicole brushed a stray hair out of Waverly’s face giving an affectionate smile.

“And you’re not going to know her until you at least speak to her, I know it’s hard but you need to know what happened, it’s part of the reason we came here so you can move on...just give her five minutes and if you’re still not ok, I’ll fly you right out of here,” Waverly brushed a thumb across Nicole’s cheek with the Redhead leaning into the touch happily.

“It creeps me out when you’re all serious and making sense like this?” Waverly said with a teasing tone as she gradually returned to a calmer state, letting Nicole’s words sink in.

“Oh I do apologise me lady, would you prefer I acted more like this all the time? Much more charming don’t you think?” Nicole said dramatically as she imitated a posh British accent. Waverly couldn’t hide a smile at the Redhead who was so quick to lighten every situation.

“Shut up,” Waverly said rolling her eyes, pulling Nicole in for a quick kiss. “What would I do without you huh?”

“Probably die of boredom, you know sit alone in a small dark room for the rest of your days...,” Nicole replied doing her best to hold back a smile. Waverly just swatted at Nicole and then took her hand.

“Guess we should probably go back in before you head gets any bigger,” Waverly joked with the Redhead as they returned to the house hand in hand.

***

Sat at the old rickety table in the kitchen, Wynonna sat with her back slumped against one of the chairs nursing a glass of whiskey, two empty glasses were placed in front of her beside two empty chairs. She stared down into the golden-brown liquor resting in her hand, going over the events that had just occurred; trying to understand how the kid sister she thought had died, ended up in her living room. A cough came from the side of Wynonna, so barely tilting her head, she could see a nervous-looking Waverly stood in the kitchen doorway with her back pressed to Nicole's front. Wynonna just looked away with a blank expression and kicked the two spare chairs so they edged out from the table.

“Sit,” Wynonna ordered. Waverly just looked up at Nicole who just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what was happening. “You both deaf or something?” Wynonna slammed after a moment of silence and no movement. The two women silently stalked over to the table and took a spare chair each and sat opposite the silent Wynonna. Once sat Wynonna leant forward and grabbed the whiskey bottle. After pouring a small amount into Waverly’s glass she moved onto Nicole’s to find a hand covering the glass. Wynonna quirked an eyebrow as she looked up at an embarrassed Nicole. 

“I don’t drink, hate the taste,” Nicole gave a breathy nervous laugh.

“Of course you don’t,” Wynonna stated as she placed the bottle down and slumped back into her chair. Wynonna narrowed her eyes at the two women who were sat very close together, staring straight back at her. Wynonna emptied the rest of glass before slamming the glass down making the two women jump. She refilled the glass. “So are you two banging?”

Waverly’s eyes widened at the abrupt question. “I don’t think that’s any of your business!” She snapped.

“So that’s a yes,” Wynonna muttered rolling her eyes.

“What does it matter?! I thought you were dead! And that’s all you’ve got to say?” An exasperated Waverly snapped.

“What am I suppose to say, ‘it’s great to see you?’; ‘glad you grew your tits out?’ I mourned for you Christ sake, so excuse me for not dealing!” The room went quiet again. Waverly grabbed her glass and shot the harsh liquid back into her mouth. She scrunched her face up at the burning sensation as she placed the empty glass back down.

“What happened? Last time I saw you a herd of zombies were surrounding you, I heard your screams...,” Waverly asked unable to lookup. Nicole rubbed a soothing hand on the smaller woman’s back to show her support.

Wynonna ran her tongue across her lips as she leaned forward and refilled her glass, grabbing the glass forcefully and slumping back as she took a sip.   
“They backed me into a corner, I thought that was it but there was a hole in the bottom of the fence that I managed to squeeze through. I had to run a couple of blocks just to get some distance but once I got away I backtracked the long round to find you but all I could find was your backpack in the middle of the street. I searched everywhere for you, I spent months travelling around trying to find any sign...even if it was just your body...,” Wynonna trailed off as she went back to her drink.

“When did you stop looking?” Waverly asked quietly not really wanting to know the answer.

“...about a year...I was so tired and there were no clues to where you could be...so I came back here, I figured if you were alive and looking for me then you’d come here to find me...guess I was right,” She finished as she chugged back the rest of her drink. “What about you? Where have you been?”

“Well after you disappeared, I was being chased by some of the straggling zombies. I kept running until I bumped into a group of men who saved me. I told them what happened. I ended up going back with them to their enclave where I lived for the last ten years...,” Waverly explained, peeling back the old memories of a long time ago.

“Is that where you two met?” Wynonna gestured to Nicole. Nicole shook her head looking between the two sisters.

“No, we met just over a month ago, I saved her when she fell in a waterfall,” Nicole answered for Waverly before the smaller woman had a chance.

“Then what happened to the enclave?” Wynonna narrowed her eyes a little confused.

“I was just out for a walk and I had an accident crossing the river...and well I just never went back, me and Nicole really connected,” Nicole looked at Waverly with a frown, as she witnessed Waverly lie to her older sister. All she could assume was Waverly was trying to protect her older sister from the truth but she couldn’t understand why.

“Oh...ok,” Wynonna replied, a little suspicious of the vague answer she had received. “How did you save her? You look like you have the strength of a drunk beaver,” Wynonna asked rudely now turning her attention to the Redhead. Nicole now turned her head to the older woman, stunned by the assumption.

“If you must know I’m quite capable...I acquired some gifts...more powers...” Nicole started to explain.

“So what, you’re some kind of ginger superhero? Sure thing Red,” Wynonna rolled her eyes at the ridiculous story.

“It’s true...I can prove it,” Nicole said standing up, now wanting to prove herself, not really knowing why as she never much cared before what people thought. Waverly reached her hand to touch Nicole’s arm.

“Nicole you don’t have to prove anything to her,” Waverly told Nicole in a concerned tone, already panicking about where this conversation was heading. She hadn’t been able to prepare for this and she couldn’t cope with the stress of it all.

“It’s ok really, she’ll probably find out at some point anyway,” Nicole reassured Waverly. Wynonna watched the couple interact with each other with such curiosity about what she was going to be shown.

So Nicole tucked her chair back under the table gently and took a step back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A light breeze developed in the room and gathered around Nicole’s feet and slowly lifted her into the air. She opened her eyes to see an awestruck Wynonna looking up at her and in an instant her face formed into a smile and she began to laugh loudly, pointing her finger at Nicole.

“What’s so funny?” Nicole asked now annoyed.

“You have the power to float...What did you do, float over the water and scoop her out with a net?” Wynonna teased as she did her best to calm down her laughter.

“Not just float, it’s not like I can get any higher, I’d end up going through the roof. Look, that’s not all,” Nicole complained to an unimpressed Wynonna. Extending her arm, Nicole clicked her fingers to reveal a flame. Wynonna erupted into laughter as this, so rolling her eyes; Nicole lowered herself back to the ground and got rid of the flame in her hand. She sat back down looking at Waverly with a fed-up look as Waverly tried to return an encouraging smile.

Nicole and Waverly waited calmly for Wynonna to get the laughter out of her system. Getting herself back into check, Wynonna leant forward and rested her arms on the table, doing her best to compose herself.   
“Sorry about that, I didn’t realise being a human lighter constituted as a superpower coupled with the power to hover, you’re like the human torch with a height limit,”

“Wynonna, there’s more to Nicole than what you can see, now can we go back to the fact that you and I are both alive and in the same room...please?” Waverly pleaded to a now serious-looking Wynonna.

Taking a second to think, Wynonna stood up from her chair and walked over slowly to Waverly’s side. Waverly shifted uncomfortably as Wynonna walked towards her with a menacing stare. Waverly kept her head held high; bracing herself for whatever Wynonna was going to do next. Wynonna lunged down and embraced Waverly into a bone-crushing hug. The impact shook Waverly, all sense of annoyance instantly disappeared, all she could feel was the family she thought she had once lost. She burst in to tear as she pressed her face into the crook of Wynonna’s neck.

Nicole watched the tender moment, not ever thinking this was the way the conversation was going that it would end this way. Regardless of this she was happy for her lover, she knew there was no chance of finding her own family, she saw the bodies to prove it but Waverly had a second chance with Wynonna. She was still concerned about Waverly’s previous lie but just kept quiet and decided to wait until she and Waverly were alone again to she investigate further.

“Wynonna! I got a big one!” A male voice called from the living room. The two sisters pulled away as they turned their attention to the unknown man in the other room that interrupted the loving moment.

A tall cowboy with a messy Stetson on and an overly large old-style looking moustache carrying a dead rabbit entered the kitchen to find all the women gathered around staring right at him.

“Uh...Wynonna? I did not know we were expecting company...?” The man greeted Wynonna as his eye roamed suspiciously towards Nicole and Waverly who were staring at him confused. Wynonna took a gulp and stepped over to the man, placing a soft hand on his chest.

“Doc...this is Waverly...,” Wynonna told Doc introducing him to her long lost sister. The man stared at the brunette girl in shock as he looked between Wynonna and Waverly. His eyes went glossy as he dropped the rabbit.

“She came back to you Wynonna...good lord,” Doc exclaimed in his southern drawl. Waverly observed the strange man who was tearing up at the sight of her. She didn’t recognise him but he obviously knew Wynonna well. “I do apologise, Miss Waverly, my name is John Henry Holliday but my friends call me Doc,” Doc introduced himself, extending her hand for Waverly to shake. Cautiously she shook the hand back, just looking at the gleeful man before taking her hand back to the safety of her lap.

“Hi...this is Nicole,” Waverly introduces the quiet Redhead beside her. Doc tipped his hat to Nicole in acknowledgement. 

It all suddenly got too much for Waverly and she was up on her feet in front of everyone. Too much was happening and she felt like she was suffocating with new information and feelings. She reached her hand around to pull Nicole up from her chair. Wynonna watched confused by the sudden urgency.

“It’s getting late and...And well I think we should head back to our place...there’s a lot happening right now,” Waverly announced with rushed words as nervous energy coursed through her veins. Wynonna just slowly nodded her head.

“Yeah course; the sun will be down soon...no street lights anymore...Will you come back?” Wynonna asked not able to hide the hope in her face. Waverly just stayed silent unable to form words through the lump in her throat. “Tomorrow?”

Waverly looked to Nicole still unable to speak. Nicole could sense what Waverly wanted to say, it was like they were speaking to each other through their eyes. Nicole gave a kind nod showing she understood.

“We’ll come tomorrow afternoon if Waverly’s up to it but I will make sure to tell you if she isn’t,” Nicole assured Wynonna who just listened silently.

“Can you take us, I’m not sure I can walk?” Waverly quietly asked Nicole as Wynonna and Doc gave confused looks to each other hearing the strange question.

“Of course baby,” Nicole smile lovingly. Waverly let go of Nicole to embrace Wynonna again. The pair held each other quietly for a moment just taking in each other’s smell and remembering each other’s touch like it could be the last time they see each other again before eventually pulling away with a slight awkwardness.

“It was nice to meet you Doc,” Waverly said giving a small smile to the cowboy, who returned the smile with a tilt of his hat. Having said their goodbyes, Waverly took Nicole’s hand and led them out of the Homestead with Wynonna and Doc following close behind.

As they stepped off the porch, Nicole bent down and scooped an emotionally exhausted Waverly into her arms. She turned around so they could get one last look to Waverly’s old home, acknowledging Wynonna and Doc who were watching on confused on the porch. Centring her body, Nicole summoned the wind to encase herself and Waverly and took off into the air. Wynonna stepped off the porch looking up at the now-empty sky stunned.

“Holy smokes Batman, she really can fly...,” Wynonna trailed off in disbelief.

***

Once back home, Nicole carried an exhausted Waverly straight to bed. She had barely spoken on the flight home and once back all she could do was cry on and off. It broke Nicole’s heart knowing she was unable to do anything; all she could do was lie in bed and hold the smaller woman against her.

A few hours later after Waverly had finally grown so exhausted that she could no longer create tears and the sun had set long before. Nicole still had her wrapped up in her arms on the bed, having fallen asleep herself as she soothed the small brunette. All light had disappeared from the room where the candles had gone out and as exhausted as she was, Waverly knew she wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. So peeling herself out of the Redhead’s grasp, Waverly climbed out of the bed and headed out of the room.

She quietly made her way downstairs, grabbing a thick blanket from the lounge; she dragged the heavy wait out and into the garden. Wrapping the thick blanket around her shoulders, she padded across the cold and moist grass, feeling the blades of grass passing through toes. She climbed up to the stairs and took a seat in the nook of the hut so she could finish the rest of the night and watch the sunrise.

As she sat in the peaceful silence of the isolated night, Waverly had thought back on the day’s events. The shock of seeing her sister again really had messed with her mind. She knew she had cried because she was overwhelmed but she couldn’t understand why it hadn’t stopped for such a long time afterwards. Maybe it was because she was so happy about seeing Wynonna, maybe it was the fresh wave of guilty that was overloading her body or maybe because her plan for a new start had suddenly been turned on its head. Wynonna was nothing like the girl she remembered, she was much harsher with her words now and it looked like she had moved on with her life with this Doc guy.  
How was she meant to navigate her way through all of this? Did she want to go back to see this stranger who she once knew or did she just carry on moving forward with Nicole? Waverly continued to look out at the stars in hopelessness. Both sister’s had changed in so many ways, their innocence lost and had taken completely different paths. She was no longer that little girl that relied on others for protection, she had seen things no child ever should and she wasn’t sure if that was something Wynonna would be able to handle.

As the first signs of light started to strip through the dark sky, the countdown for sunrise began. The back door creaked open in the crimson garden with a sleepy and dishevelled Nicole appearing through the doorway looking for any sign of Waverly. She looked up at the hut to see a small figure sat back in the nook. So making her way over, Nicole climbed the small steps and joined Waverly.

“Hey...mind if I sit?” Nicole asked quietly not wanting to ruin the stillness. Waverly just nodded her head as she shifted her body over to make room for Nicole to sit, who slid straight in and wrapped an arm around Waverly’s shoulder. “Couldn’t sleep huh?” The Redhead asked attentively.

“No (Waverly shook her head) my brain won’t shut up...it’s peaceful out here,” Waverly replied now leant comfortably under Nicole’s arm.

“I knew building this place would be a good idea, not that I’m bragging...that would just be big-headed...I just mean it’s a comfort for you, well both of us-,” Nicole stopped her rambling when she was interrupted with a soft hand caressing her jaw accompanied with a soft chuckle.

“It was a good idea...it’s beautiful out here,” Waverly replied with a chaste kiss, the adorableness of Nicole stumbling over her words like she usually did, grounded the brunette. Both women settled back comfortably to watch the sun slowly fill the sky with pastel colours.

“How are you feeling after yesterday?” Nicole casually asked with no expectations of Waverly having to answer.

“Well, I think I’m over the initial shook, ergo lack of crying. But I’m not sure what I should do; do you think we should go back?” Waverly asked as she felt her worries building again.

“Well, that depends,”

“On what?”

“You. I can’t make any decisions for you; it’s your choice to make, no matter what my opinions are?” Nicole replied making sure her little ‘slip’ hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“...But you do have thoughts then?” A curious Waverly asked taking the bait. Nicole did her best to suppress a smile.

“Of course I have thoughts, I worry about you but it doesn’t matter because this will always be your decision, it doesn’t matter what I think,”

“It totally matters what you think Nicole, we’re in this together and I trust you to give me your outlook,” Waverly told the Redhead that she had grown to love and trust. Nicole was taken aback with this and felt bad about what she was going to say but she knew it had to be done.

“I just worry you won’t like what I have to say,” Nicole admitted, anxious about hurting the smaller woman too much.

“I have no judgements, Nicole, just say what you need to,” Waverly said as she sat up to turn and look at Nicole.

“Ok well aside from the fact that I had a gun pointed at me and was laughed at...honestly I think you’re better off without...” Nicole brazenly told Waverly who now had a surprised look on her face at the admission.

“Really?” Was all the brunette could respond.

“Yeah...she was rude...obviously has an alcohol problem and I think she’ll be trouble and if I’m really honest, if you would let me then I would take you away from here. We can easily find a new home; we haven’t lived here long enough to lay proper roots down so it won’t be too upsetting...” Nicole just shrugged like it was a simple answer.

“How can you make such a judgement just over one meeting?!” Waverly responded shocked and a little annoyed by the assumption made about her sister. “You don’t know what’s she been through and we did just dump ourselves in her lap without notice, I’d probably be just as rude... and also she had some drinks but I had one too, it was a tense situation. We don’t know if she drinks all the time,” Waverly snapped

“Look it’s just a feeling I get but if you want to go and find out otherwise be my guess but I won’t stick around to know, we don’t need anyone else!” Nicole snapped, giving the best performance as an annoyed girlfriend that she could give.

“Don’t you make me choose between you two Nicole Haught because you won’t be happy with my answer. She may not be perfect but she’s my sister and deserves a chance to show us who she really is and I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose her again. Everybody deserves a second chance!” Waverly barked back at a now smiling Nicole whose eyes were bursting with love. Waverly narrowed her eyes at Nicole, slowly picking up on what was happening.   
“You didn’t mean any of that did you?” Waverly accused. Nicole just shook her head with her goofy grin.   


“Nope,” Nicole replied with emphasis on the ‘p’ as she began to laugh. Waverly hit the laughing woman in the arm as she clutched at her shaking stomach.

“You tricked me!” Waverly replied now laughing herself.

“Well it worked,” Nicole said as she tried to compose herself. “People usually tell the truth when they're annoyed, so I took a chance,” Waverly leant forward and kissed Nicole vigorously. She was so annoyed that Nicole lied about her feelings but at the same time changed her own morals of lying just to help her make a decision that she already knew.   
The women pulled away to catch their breaths, resting their forehead against each other.

“Thank you, even if you did toy with my emotions,” Waverly whispered.

“I promise I won’t do it again but you had to decide for yourself, I couldn’t be the reason for a decision you may end up regretting,” Nicole returned the whisper.

“Well one thing I don’t regret is you, you beautiful goofball,” The women smiled at each other with such affection as they leant in for one more kiss before, leaning back down to watch the rest of the sunrise.

"Waves...just make sure you're both honest with each other, I hate for things to start on the wrong terms," Nicole started after a minute of watching the sky. "You lied to Wynonna about how you left the enclave...," Waverly stopped her movements as she listened, she forgot all about the lie that had fallen from her lips so naturally.

"Why did you do it?" Nicole asked, waiting patiently for an answer.

"I know...I just panicked. Wynonna was always so overprotective of me and I didn't know how she would react to what really happened, I'm sorry," Waverly explained ashamed of herself.

"You don't need to apologise to me...I thought it might be something like that but I needed to hear it from you. You should really tell her the truth, it'll probably bring you closer together," Nicole told Waverly who was laying on the Redhead's chest silently, hoping that her racing heartbeat couldn't be heard. 

"I will...but can we wait until after this afternoon, I want to see how things go the second time around," Waverly told Nicole without looking up. Nicole just smiled and started to stroke fingers through Waverly's hair.

"Sounds like a plan to me baby," Nicole responded in blissful ignorance as she continued to watch the sunrise, pulling Waverly closer.

Waverly hated lying and she felt like that's all she had been doing lately. She had no intention of telling Wynonna, she couldn't risk her protective sister wanting to take action and risk anybody finding them. She loved Nicole but some things had to be done her way and without explanation. So Waverly stayed in her position on the Redhead's chest, too distracted to watch the beautiful sunrise as she began to plot ahead in her mind. This time she was going to have her story better prepared before going back to the homestead.


	11. Chapter 11

Later that afternoon Nicole and Waverly found themselves stood on the Homestead porch once again, this time more aware of what they were going to find. Waverly rocked on her feet nervously, swaying back and forth.

“You knock,” Waverly instructed nodding her head towards the door.

“Why me?” Nicole asked, quite nervous herself.

“You’re closer,” Waverly argued.

“We’re stood right next to each other,” Nicole said. Waverly took a step back so they were no longer in line. Nicole rolled her eyes and shook her head as she moved forward and knocked on the old worn door.

They heard shuffling and glass bottles getting knocked over coming from inside the house when the door swung open revealing a very tired looking Wynonna. She looked like she had about the same amount of sleep as Waverly which amounted to none.

“Hey,” Wynonna said sheepishly, her confidence from the night before long gone.

“Hey,” Waverly replied shyly. The two sisters just kept staring at each other, not quite knowing what to say.

“Hi,” Nicole broke in happily, trying to break the awkward silence. Wynonna turned her attention to the Redhead with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey Red, nice to see you’re making use of gravity,” Wynonna greeted with her with a dry tone. Nicole just returned a smug smile.

“Nice to see you believe me now,” Nicole replied proudly.

“Easy Red, just because I believe you don’t mean I’m impressed,” Wynonna shot back. Nicole went to respond when Waverly got there first.

“Can you guys not?” Waverly scowled at the two women who were about to start bickering.

“Sorry...,” Wynonna and Nicole replied in unison.

“Do you wanna come in?” Wynonna asked acting as casual as she could. Waverly looked from Wynonna to Nicole and just nodded her head. Wynonna stepped aside to allow the women to enter.

They all entered the darkened house again but this time the empty bottles in the house had somehow doubled overnight and Doc was also there slumped on an old dusty armchair in the corner of the room. Doc tilted his hat, welcoming Waverly and Nicole into the room. Wynonna rushed over to the grubby sofa and cleared it of clothes and rubbish to make more space. They all stood in silence for a moment, not sure of where to look or what to say until Doc rose from the chair pulling some cigarettes out of his pocket.

“I think I may retire outside for a smoke, I will return shortly,” Doc informed them in his southern drawl. He walked over to Wynonna and placed a kiss on her cheek and left out the front door.

Nicole looked on nervously knowing she should give the sisters some time alone and feeling very out of place in the awkward scene.   
“Ya know, I think I might go and see if Doc can show me how to be a cowboy...” Nicole tells Waverly as she starts to head to the door.

“Are you sure?” Waverly called after Nicole suddenly aware that it would just be her and Wynonna alone for the first time.

“Yep, just shout if you need me,” Nicole said as she quickly slipped out the door knowing Waverly would never let her go otherwise. Nicole knew they needed to talk without any outside influences.

“She was joking right?” Wynonna asked after the Redhead left.

“If only,” Waverly lightly chuckled as she turned back from facing the door.

“Do you wanna sit?” Wynonna asked gesturing to the now cleared sofa, not sure how to respond as she suppressed another joke about Nicole. Waverly just nodded and went to sit on the sofa. “Want a drink?” Wynonna asked to nervous to sit.

“No thank you,” Waverly said simply, wanting to keep a clear head.

“Oh...ok,” Wynonna replied trying to decide if she should still get herself one. So mirroring Waverly, she placed herself down on the other end of the sofa.

“So...,” Waverly started awkwardly as she rubbed her hands together anxiously in her hands.

“So...,” Wynonna nodded along. The silence was deafening as the two women wracked their brains thinking of what to talk about. So many years apart dreaming to be reunited and now too terrified to speak

“How did you meet Doc?” Waverly asked, still curious of who the man was that was living with her, finding any reason to get out of the awkward stillness.

“Oh, um a few years ago he was passing through town with this guy dolls...I was in shorty’s basement grabbing some more Whiskey when I heard a scrap outside. They had let out some zombies I trapped in the bakery. That dolls guy died by the time I got out there; I helped Doc getaway and came back here. We ended up having a few drinks and some fun, the next day we came up with a plan and went and cleared out the zombies that were let out. He ended up sticking around to help me clear the rest that I had managed to trap around town and the rest is history. He stayed and we became a family...not a very big one but we have each other...,” 

“He seems nice,” Waverly replied, pleased that her sister wasn’t alone for too long.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy, I could do worse,” Wynonna agreed. “What about Red? What happened there?” Waverly’s face fell into a smile at the mention of Nicole and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Well like I said, she saved my life. She took me to her home and looked after me...it was strange at first getting used to each other’s personality but we have such a connection. She makes me really happy,” Waverly beamed as she thought back on the events of the last few weeks.

“And the power thing? That doesn’t freak you out?” Wynonna probed.

“...at first? Yes but once you see the kind and sweet person that Nicole is, it just doesn’t matter, and she only uses her abilities when necessary,”

“So she was born with them or was it a spiderman thing and she got bit?” Wynonna asked as she started to relax into the conversation. Waverly just chuckled at her sister and shook her head.

“No, she had an accident in some warehouse a few months back and now she has powers, she’s not even sure herself how it happened but she’s adapted really well to it it seems...you know she use to travel with sheriff Nedley,” Waverly informed her sister.

“No way?! How is the old guy? Last time I saw him was when he found me and Mercedes Gardner smoking joints on the football field and he threatened to tell daddy on me,” Wynonna laughed at the memory.

“He didn’t make it Nonna, and neither did Chrissy or his wife,” Waverly explained sadly.

“Oh...shit...,” Said a dumbfounded Wynonna. “Babygirl, this is stupid,”

Waverly jumped at the sudden change of subject. “Huh?”

“No I haven’t seen you in 10 years but we’re both sisters and we’re tiptoeing around each other like we abandoned each other on purpose,”

“I know but I’m just finding it all so hard, I missed you every day we weren’t together but I don’t know you anymore, we’ve both changed so much, I just don’t know how to be with you,” Waverly explained. Wynonna looked at Waverly thoughtfully and took her hand.

“Babygirl, that doesn’t matter. We have all the time in the world together to get to know each other, we should be happy that we’re finally together in the same room,” Wynonna shuffled closer to Waverly so their knees were touching. “Waves, I missed you so damn much!” And before Waverly could react, Wynonna had pounced on her sister and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Instantly Waverly sighed into the hug, feeling the warmth of her sister brought security she forgot she once had. It was different to how she felt when she was with Nicole; it was an unbroken bond which was quickly rediscovered. She quickly tightened her hold on Wynonna, the two women just staying in that position for a few minutes, making up for lost time. After a couple of minutes, the two women pulled away with glossy eyes and a bashful laugh.

“Why don’t you guys stay for a bonfire? Have some whiskey?” Wynonna asked her sister.

“I’d like that,” Waverly replied happily, her fears from before now disappeared only excitement for getting to know each other left instead.

***

A week had passed and things had finally begun to get a bit more relaxed. They had all spent their first evening together in front of a fire and that’s where things became more normal. After a few drinks, Wynonna had slowly fallen back into her usual behaviour that Waverly quickly recognised. Wynonna was the life of the party and her quick-witted and dangerous mouth was soon on the warpath.

She had drunkenly pressured Nicole into showing her powers off so Wynonna could make sure that her little sister wasn’t in immediate danger, or that’s what she told everyone anyway, really she was just trying to have fun and see if there was anything cool she could use to her advantage. Nicole wasn’t stupid though and made sure to show as little as possible, which bored Wynonna quite quickly. Doc also opened up and told them his stories about what his life was like with Dolls before meeting Wynonna. All of this contributed to Waverly finally calming and feeling like she and Wynonna had never been separated, more like a short break as they soon found a comfortable regularity between the two of them.

Wynonna had hinted for them all to live together but even Waverly knew that was too soon, they all needed to have some kind of boundaries as their relationships developed plus she wasn’t ready to share Nicole with anyone and wanted to stay in that bubble as long as possible. So they all agreed to visit each other, not every single day but it was a priority to check in with each other regularly.

Too bad the plan lasted about 12 hours before Wynonna turned up on Waverly and Nicole’s doorstep uninvited and letting herself into their home, much to Waverly and Nicole’s surprise who had been busy with other activities that involved very little clothing and had Wynonna walk in on them. After Wynonna had finally got past the shock and disgust, she made herself comfortable and stayed until the late evening. So after that, they knew that there would be no stopping Wynonna and they all decided to take it in turns visiting each other’s home every day.

Waverly preferred to visit the homestead rather than Wynonna visit, she much favoured going to the homestead, that way whenever Wynonna tried to talk about her past and about her old enclave she could easily make an excuse and leave. She didn’t mind talking with her sister and learning new things but sometimes Wynonna couldn’t leave certain subjects alone and rather than dig herself into a hole, it was easier to brush the question aside for another day.

Which led them up to a week later and Nicole found herself in the Earp barn. There wasn’t much left of it, half of the panels had been broken or pulled away in storms over the years. The whole space was basically bare except for crates upon crates of empty whiskey bottles that littered the corners. Nicole decided to use some of her skills whilst Waverly and Wynonna was in the kitchen, Wynonna had started drinking and Nicole had never been a big fan of alcohol so preferred to slink away.  
She wondered around the homestead but soon found her way into the abandoned building, she felt like she was in an underground cave, filled with old relics from a pirate ship.

“How did I get here? Looks like that storm really shook us up, (looks up at the sky through the gaps in the roof) guess I'll have to camp out and hope there are no dangers out here,” Nicole told the room like she wasn’t alone, the story in her mind already started to build. Everything about the barn disappeared and all she could see was a dark and dank cave, with the crashing of waves hitting the outside of walls. A drop of water fell on her head. “No sleep tonight until we can block up those holes,”

Nicole ran out of the barn and dragged on old barrel back in with her and placed it in the middle. Gathering some old dried hay on the floor and a few chopped logs, she dropped them in the barrel before clicking her fingers and lighting the fire. She then took a step back and raised her arms out, a white sheen covered her irises as the crates began to tremble and the glass bottle lifted up into the air. The bottles surrounded the fire and one by one the bottles would hover over the top of the flames until they were hot enough to mould. Nicole would picture shapes and the glass mould would spread itself and lift itself to one of the gaps in the barn and patch itself into place and instantly cool. As glass continued to hover above Nicole, Waverly had entered the barn but kept herself by the entrance as she watched on at the spectacle in front of her. Nicole looked almost angelic whilst using her powers; Waverly had never really witnessed it when she was really designing something. The treehouse was already built when they met and the hut was made as a surprise. Waverly couldn't help but feel her heart sink when she saw the magnificent things that Nicole could do but was unable to do as much with her gifts, this world didn’t need a hero.  


Filling the holes didn’t take too long before Nicole lowered her arms again and her eye’s returned to normal. All the holes had been filled with glass, giving the barn a very vintage look to it.

“That should do, for now, maybe we’ll survive this night after all!” Nicole continued to tell the room, slipping right back into her dream world. Waverly smiled at the sight, Nicole being nothing but innocent filled her with so much love and joy. So not wanting to stay quiet any longer, Waverly left her place at the barn door and headed to Nicole and slipped her arms around the Redhead’s waist.

“Do you think you can protect me from the rain too?” Waverly asked in a flirtatious tone. Nicole smiled at the surprise visitor and turned around in Waverly’s arms.

“Hmm, depends, were you followed?” Nicole asked with a raised eyebrow returning the flirty tone.

“Nope, Wynonna went hunting with Doc,” Waverly told her as she began to rub her hands up and down Nicole’s back, sending shivers down the Redhead’s spine.

“Oh really?”

“Mhmm, I came to see if you wanted to head home but then I found all this, and you know its hot watching you make all these beautiful things,” Waverly told Nicole seductively as she now started rubbing up and down Nicole’s arms. Nicole leant her face closer to Waverly’s, so their faces were only centimetres apart.

“Maybe I can show you some other skills that I have?” Nicole whispered as she lunged in for a passionate kiss which Waverly quickly reciprocated. The two women couldn’t keep their hands off each other as they fought for dominance. Ever since the two women had their first intimate encounter they just couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They were usually quite controlled and kept their intimate life at home but today Waverly couldn’t restrain herself. She loved every aspect of Nicole and knowing they were alone just sent the small brunette into overdrive.

Nicole picked up Waverly and the brunette wrapped her legs around Nicole’s waist. As they continued to kiss, Waverly ground her core into the Redhead, feeling arousal spread throughout her body. Nicole walked them forward, pining Waverly to a pillar as the brunette continued to grind away and she dragged her nails through the Redhead’s hair. Nicole left Waverly’s lips as she nipped down her neck straight to her pulse point. Waverly shivered under the touch, she slipped her hand down as she reached down under Nicole’s waistband. Nicole knelt into the touch straight away; the wetness in between her legs growing quickly.

“Seriously! I was gone like ten minutes!” Wynonna’s pissed off voice boomed across the barn shocking the two women.

Nicole immediately put Waverly down as the brunette retrieved her hand and tried to make herself look a bit more presentable. Wynonna narrowed her eyes at them and then travelled across the room to the walls and roof, noticing the new glass windows.

“Sorry Nonna it’s not like it was planned,” Waverly told her sister, slightly annoyed that the mood was killed. Nicole just stood silent, a red blush sprayed across her face.

“Whatever we don’t have time for your hormones! Doc’s been hurt!” Wynonna exclaimed, running back out of the barn and towards the house. Nicole just took a shocked Waverly’s hand and the two women chased after Wynonna, the last couple of minutes suddenly forgotten.


	12. Chapter 12

The three women ran up the stairs of the Homestead, following Wynonna’s lead into her own bedroom. Doc was propped up against the headboard with his hand clinging to his side. The whole right side of his torso was drenched in blood and there was what looked like an arrow had gone through the area. Doc was sweating and his breathing haggard, with ever breath a sharp pain ripped along his ribs.

“Omg Wynonna, what happened?!” Waverly exclaimed as she made her way around the bed to look at the injured man in front of her.

“We barely made it off the land when some arrows came flying at us when one of the arrows hit Doc,” Wynonna ran out of the room to grab some bandages and came flying back in, laying them down on the table beside Doc. Nicole had sat down on the bed next to Doc whilst the sisters had been talking, she has pulled the shirt away from the arrow sticking through his side. Doc hissed at the touch.

“Get away Red! I need to try and get that thing out without hurting him more, don’t need you poking at him,” Wynonna snapped watching the Redhead look around the arrow, like she had never seen one before.

“Let me Wynonna, I can do this,” Nicole told Wynonna calmly not really looking for permission. She raised a flat palm above the arrow as she turned back to Doc who was looking at the Redhead wide-eyed.

“What the hell are you doing?” Wynonna snapped confusedly as she moved to grab Nicole.

“Nonna stop, just let her try...please?” Waverly called her sister from the other side of the bed with pleading eyes. Wynonna just looked up at her sister, her eyes were flooded with fear seeing her partner in so much pain but seeing the look Waverly gave her, she knew she couldn’t say no.

“Fine, but if you hurt him more Red...you’ll have me to deal with!” Wynonna threatened through a shaky voice. Nicole nodded her head in silent understanding.

“Ok, now he’s gonna need some whiskey...this may hurt,” Nicole instructed the eldest Earp.

“No sweat,” And with that Wynonna bent down and pulled a half-drunk bottle out from under the bed, Waverly just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Doc as she began to dab his forehead with a spare towel. Wynonna opened the bottle and handed it over to Doc who immediately took a swig, the alcohol burning him more than the arrow inside of him.

Nicole turned back to Doc as she proceeded to circle her palm in the air, her eyes turned white as she allowed the power to course through her body. She concentrated on the arrowhead as she held the stick in place with her mind. The arrowhead popped off of the stick by itself and plopped on the floor and rolled to a shocked Wynonna’s feet and then in one swift mood, she swiped the stick out of Doc’s body. Instantly blood pumped straight out of the smooth wound, Waverly pounced forward with the towel in her hand and put pressure on the open wound. Nicole’s eyes hadn’t changed back to normal nor had her hand moved.

“Waverly, move away,” Nicole instructed in a monotone, looking straight ahead. Waverly looked down at the pouring blood and back to her girlfriend, warily she moved back knowing Nicole enough that she wouldn’t usually act this way.

“Waves...,” Wynonna trailed off as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

Nicole’s hand began to tremble as steam rose up from her skin. Her hand was heating up, another ability that hadn’t been discovered. Waverly had noticed a pattern recently, whenever the Redhead was in a stressful situation, her abilities would open up in new and interesting ways. She didn’t think that Nicole noticed anymore, the more powerful she became, the less she questioned what was happening.  
Once Nicole’s hand had heated up to the point where here skin was a burning red colour with mass amounts of steam coming off the area, she pushed her finger into the top of the hole, cauterising the wound so the bleeding would stop, she then moved to the opposite end of the wound and did the same. The bleeding stopped straight away, Nicole sat back taking a deep breath as she returned to her normal state. She blinked a couple of times and looked to Waverly and Wynonna who were just looking on in astonishment. Doc was just looking down at where the arrow had been and continued to drink Whiskey in shock. Nicole stood up from the bed, giving Doc some space so Wynonna could join him.

“Jesus Red, you’ve been keeping that hidden,” Wynonna remarked as she brushed past Nicole and sat next to Doc, placing a comforting hand to his cheek. She bent down and kissed his lips softly and then reached for the bandages to start covering his wound.

“I didn’t know I could...,” Nicole replied as she watched on, Wynonna not really paying attention anymore. Waverly joined the Redhead’s side and wrapped a comforting arm around her waist.

“Are you ok baby?” Waverly whispered to the now tired-looking Nicole.

“Yeah, just did a lot in the last hour, I’ll be fine,” Nicole said taking Waverly’s hand and giving it a squeeze.

“Nonna, do you need anything?” Waverly asked her sister who was now finishing the bandages. Wynonna paused her movements and turned to face Waverly and Nicole.

“Can we just a have a few minutes babygirl?” Wynonna asked, indicating she wanted some alone time with Doc.

“Sure, we’ll just be downstairs,” Waverly gave a small smile as she led her and Nicole out of the door.

“Thanks, Nicole,” Wynonna told the Redhead before she left the room, not even looking in her direction.

“You’re welcome Wynonna,” Nicole looked down to Waverly giving her a small smile, appreciating the use of her actual name for once and they left the bedroom.

***

An hour later Nicole had been resting on the couch as Waverly made herself busy making food for everyone. They had been waiting patiently downstairs for Wynonna, not wanting to leave until they knew what had happened and if Wynonna and Doc were going to be ok.

Nicole felt partially drained from fixing the barn and then helping Doc, her powers were growing more and more every day, and the more power she developed the quicker she burnt out. She couldn’t figure why it happened, it was like her body wasn’t built for that much power. Getting lost in her own thoughts as she rested, she could fill the sofa dip down next to her. She opened her eyes and came face to face with Waverly.

“Hey baby, you feeling a bit better?” Waverly asked as she ran a soft hand across Nicole’s forehead, moving strands of hair as she went. Nicole smiled and shifted up into a seated position.

“Much better...I don’t understand how I get wiped out so easily...feel like I’m actually sixty...like my insides are ageing but my face isn’t,” Nicole grumbled. Waverly smiled at the remark.

“Well, I think you’re the prettiest sixty-year-old I’ve ever met,” A chuckling Waverly said as she kissed the tip of Nicole’s nose. Nicole scrunched her face up like a child, making Waverly laugh more.

“Has Wynonna come down yet?” Nicole asked as she noticed the silence in the house around them.

“No, I think Doc getting hurt really scared her, you don’t mind if we have to sleep here right?” Waverly asked the Redhead, not ready to leave her sister yet.

“Of course not, we can stay as long as you or Wynonna needs,” Nicole told her. “And honestly after what she said I feel like I should be here just in case,”

“You don’t think they're safe?” Waverly asked more concerned now.

“Did you hear what they said? Two guys shot arrows at them, what if it was the same people that attacked us?” Nicole told her girlfriend as she became more serious.

“How do you know they’re the same people...Wynonna said they weren’t on the land, what if they were hunting and had an accident? Waverly argued back nervously.

“And what if they weren’t? We don’t know the whole story but if they are from your old enclave then we could all be in some danger,” Nicole said more focussed as she thought about the men who had attacked them all those weeks ago.

“Exactly Nicole, we don’t know what happened, we can’t make assumptions! Let’s just wait to see what Wynonna has to say and then go from there,” Waverly said very sternly, not wanting to jump to any conclusions if they didn’t need to.

“What have I got to say?” Wynonna asked as she slowly made her way down the stairs. Her face was puffy from the crying she had been doing as she patched Doc up, they had been led together for the last hour, thankful that Doc wasn’t hurt more than he was. Nicole and Waverly looked around at Wynonna as she entered the living room and sat on the armchair opposite the young couple.

“We were just talking about what may have happened,” Waverly replied aloofly. Wynonna looked between the two women before propping her feet up on the beaten up coffee table.

“There were two guys stalking the outside of our land, Doc saw them but I hadn’t. He said he thought they were travellers looking for food but as we got closer...they took aim. Once Doc got hit I shot one of them and the other ran away,” Wynonna explained.

“So you think they did this deliberately?” Nicole asked as her brain started ticking, it was like someone had it out for the Earp’s, it’s not like anyone could’ve followed her and Waves, or could they?

“Fuck yeah I am! Those assholes didn’t start shooting until we were in clear range; there was nothing to shoot but us!” Wynonna snapped with anger building inside of her.

“Did Doc recognise either of them?” Waverly asked.

Wynonna shook her head. “No, we don’t get many people around here, especially for repeat visits,”

“Waves maybe we should tell her,” Nicole whispered to a reluctant Waverly.

“We don’t even know it’s connected,” Waverly whispered back as she tried to stall. Wynonna narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the two women.

“Tell me what?” Wynonna asked dubiously, she had been wondering for a while if her little sister had been holding something back from her. She was so guarded in her answers like she didn’t want her older sister to know something.

“We were attacked a couple of weeks ago, it’s why we ended up coming here to stay safe,” Nicole told Wynonna as she looked on at Waverly apologetically. She knew Waverly wanted to tell Wynonna in her own time but they couldn’t wait any longer.

“So you were attacked once and you just up and left? What gives?” Wynonna pressed.

“We think they were after Waverly, they asked for her specifically,” Nicole replied now unable to look at the disappointed Waverly.

“Why you?” Wynonna asked now addressing her uncomfortable looking sister.

“I don’t know Nonna...maybe the enclave I left didn’t like me going without telling them? I didn’t want to stick around to find out, I thought me and Nicole would be safer if we moved far away,” Waverly shot back as she grew more upset.

“I don’t get it though; People just leave enclaves all the time, why would they care if you did?” Wynonna asked now more confused with the more she learnt.

Waverly just stayed silent, staring down at her lap. She didn’t want Wynonna to learn the truth if she did she wouldn’t let it go and then Wynonna and Nicole would learn her true secret. She hated lying but it was the only way they would be able to have a happy and safe life together.

“If you must know they weren’t very nice people and so I escaped,” Waverly stated flatly after staying silent for too long.

“What do you mean not nice Waverly?” Wynonna pressed more in a more aggressive tone.

“They just weren’t ok! Look I’m not ready to talk about it but the important thing is I got away” Waverly snapped back not liking the attention on her.

“Doc could’ve died! And if there might be people after to you then I need to know! We don’t have time to be respectful of your damn feelings!” Wynonna argued back. Waverly jumped up from the couch, she was seething with anger, she didn’t like being pressured in any sense but with Wynonna berating her, she was going to tip over the edge.

“Screw you Wynonna! I am not that little girl you get to boss around anymore when I want to talk I will but I will not have you pressuring me!” Waverly shouted at her taken aback sister.

“Baby it's ok, let’s all just keep calm ok?” Nicole said quietly as she reached her arm out to take Waverly’s hand but the brunette pulled her hand away.

“No Nicole I won’t, I asked you not to say anything until I was ready and you said something anyway!” Waverly snapped at her girlfriend as tears welled in her eyes.

“I’m...I’m sorry, Doc was hurt, and I thought it was for the best...” Nicole replied apologetically, looking on at the woman she loved who was so upset with her.

“Well, it wasn’t...I can’t be here...,” Waverly said shakily, all of the emotions of sadness and anger overwhelming her. “I need to go...,” Waverly began to back away to the front door. Nicole jumped up and started to follow, forgetting that Wynonna was still just silently watching the two women.

“I’ll take you back home...,” Nicole offered out, just wanting to help.

“No Nicole...you need to stay here...I just need to be alone,” Waverly looked up at disheartened Nicole. A lump caught in the Redhead’s throat, she had never argued with Waverly before and the rejection stung.

“O...Ok, sure...will you be at the house?” Nicole asked quietly, her head now pointed at the floor, not wanting Waverly to see the tears developing.

“Yeah...,” Not wanting to wait for a response Waverly dashed out of the front door leaving Nicole and Wynonna behind.

Nicole grabbed the cuff of her sleeve and wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to face a very angry looking Wynonna. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, her whole body was tingling, everything that had just happened desperately trying to process inside of her. Wynonna just rolled her eyes and tutted; she jumped up from the chair and headed for the stairs.

“We’re not done here Red, you can take the sofa. I need to go sleep off all this bullshit,” Wynonna stated as she disappeared up the stairs.

“What the hell just happened?” Nicole thought to herself in disbelief as she slumped onto the sofa, ready for a very cold and awkward night alone without Waverly.

***

Waverly stormed out of the Homestead instantly hitting the cool warm air of the early evening. The sun was just beginning to set as she began her journey home. She couldn’t stay in that house, there were just too many questions and she didn’t know how to answer them without creating more questions. It probably wasn’t the best idea to walk around by herself but she needed to think without outside interference.

She made her way down the dirt path of the Homestead, wrapping her arms around herself as the evening chill started to set in. Just getting to the main road felt like a journey in itself but that was the brilliance of the Homestead, there was so much privacy and space that you could have happy life away from the rest of the world. As she hit the main road, Waverly turned around to look at the house, contemplating one more time if she should leave before she got too far and it was too late. She hated the way that she left things with Nicole, the Redhead had done nothing wrong, Waverly was just looking for someone to blame. And the look in her eyes when Waverly told her to stay behind was enough to break anybody's heart. She loved Nicole so much and had never had one argument with her and this would certainly be their first night apart since the day they met. Maybe she should just go back and tell Nicole everything, the whole truth without holding back. The lies weren’t going to last much longer and she knew she was just delaying the inevitable truth coming out.

A tear spilled from her eye as she managed to change her own mind and decide to go back. She knew Wynonna definitely wouldn’t be happy but that was going to happen if she continued to lie. She was just going to have to march back in there and sit them down and make them listen to everything with no interruptions and if it went to shit then she would just move on but it needed to end tonight.

Taking one more deep breath to psyche herself up, Waverly took her first step back onto the Earp land when a hand covered her mouth. She did her best to scream out the hand was covering her mouth too tightly. She struggled against her assailant but they were too strong. So shifting her face, Waverly bit down on the hand covering her mouth. The assailant grunted at the pain as they let go. Waverly spun around to see a hooded man shaking the pain out of his hand as he moved towards Waverly. Waverly turned to run when another hooded figure stepped out in front of her. The figure took a step forward and swung at the small brunette. The impact hit Waverly hard in the cheekbone, sending her to the floor as everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

Nicole hadn’t slept well that night, all she could do was think about Waverly and how the evening had taken a sudden turn. She couldn’t stop thinking about how she had betrayed Waverly whilst all at the same time trying to keep the small brunette safe. She had spent half her night trying her best to sleep and the other half walking around the ground floor of the Homestead, quarrelling with herself on whether she should go home to Waverly. She didn’t want to upset the smaller woman more so than she already had by ignoring her wishes again but being away from the woman she loved was just so damn hard. She decided to wait until late morning before heading home, that way she could check on Doc first and then speak to Waverly and be able to bring an update with her.

As soon as the sun began its daily routine of rising into the sky and the first sign of light hit the land, Nicole left the Homestead to investigate where their uninvited guests had shown up from. Wanting to kill time and hopefully gather some evidence like the detective storied she use to read about. She took a leisurely stroll across the land, taking in her surroundings as she went. The distance to the edge of land was longer than she had anticipated, it took her the better part of an hour to reach the fence that represented the line between public and private land (Not that ownership of land had been an issue for the last fifteen years). The sun had fully risen now and Nicole had arrived at the area that Wynonna had described. Getting closer to the fence, Nicole narrowed her eyes to see a figure lying on the ground behind the fence.

Nicole cautiously made her way over to the fence, she looked around her surroundings to make sure no one was going to jump out on her or were hidden within the trees. She spoke to the trees in her mind, asking for some kind of warning if anybody strange came her way. She wasn’t sure if it was going to work but she had to believe there was some kind of communication building with nature. She carefully climbed over the fence, dropping down next to the body that was face down in the grass. It was apparent that the body was a man and was most definitely dead. She could see the exit hole through the man’s head that was covered in dried blood where Wynonna had shot him. He was quite a large gruff man, in a standard pair of jeans and builder’s boots and wearing a tattered leather waistcoat. On the back of the waistcoat the letter R had been scratched into the back of the leather. Beside him was a compound crossbow that had been discarded during the fight. Bending down Nicole rolled the man over to see if she could ID the man but he was nothing but a stranger to her, if he was from Waverly’s old enclave perhaps she may have better luck knowing who he was. She then felt inside the man’s pockets but there was nothing. The man had carried nothing but only the crossbow, he was no traveller. Even if he hid his belongings he would still have something on him, even if it was just a memento. This man had obviously only come to this area for one reason and he didn’t want to give himself away by carrying anything. Deciding it wasn’t best to be left out for anyone to find, they were lucky that no wildlife or wandering zombies passed by and devoured the evidence. Not really wanting to touch the strange assailant, Nicole commanded the ground to lift the man. The soil broke away around the body, leaving a hole in the ground as the improvised soil bed lifted the dead man into the air and over the fence.

“Now what the hell are you doing Red?!” Wynonna called out catching Nicole off guards as she suddenly dropped the dirt and the body followed with it onto the ground. Wynonna made her way across the deserted field and up to a thrown off Nicole who was now back to concentrating on lifting the body back into the air. Wynonna couldn’t help but laugh at the site of the flustered Redhead who was now positioning the dead body flat so she could lift it again. “Are you deaf?” Wynonna asked looking for a response.

“No Wynonna, I’m busy can’t you see?” Nicole responded a little annoyed. She had next to no sleep and she didn’t have the energy to deal with Wynonna and her charming microaggressions. The body hovered up in the air with its bed of dirt and began to move towards the Homestead with Nicole’s hand guiding it, until Wynonna stood in the way blocking the body wearing a shit eating grin.

“I don’t think so Red, you’re gonna tell me what you’re doing out here with that body,” Wynonna told a disgruntled Nicole.

“Obviously I’m taking it back to the barn, or did you not want to find out who shot Doc?!” Nicole shot back, fed up of always having to explain herself to Wynonna like she was a child. Wynonna clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes, letting Nicole pass with the body. Nicole didn’t get too far when she realised Wynonna was walking right next to her, following the Redhead and the body back to the barn.

“Did you find anything?” Wynonna asked as she stared at the floating body in front of her.

Nicole shook her head. “Only a crossbow, the guy had nothing on him,”

“Unless his buddy was carrying the backpack, I find that suspicious around these parts,” Wynonna replied.

“I thought the same, so I figured if I brought him back Doc might recognise him or maybe Waverly...” Nicole trailed off wondering if it was too soon to mention the events of last night. Wynonna just grunted at the Redhead as she sped her movements up so she was now in front of Nicole, leading her to the barn.

The journey back to the barn was a lot quicker than the walk she took from the Homestead. She had a little bit more energy and didn’t have the luxury of walking slowly with Wynonna charging ahead of her. They trudged into the barn together a few minutes later. Wynonna still hadn’t spoken since Nicole mentioned Waverly; she was obviously still upset with her little sister. Nicole laid the body down onto the floor of the barn with a thud; she wasn’t too concerned with being delicate with the corpse. Wynonna stood over the body, inspecting the man in front of her. She circled around, Nicole wasn’t sure what the woman was looking for, perhaps she didn’t trust Nicole’s ability to not tamper with the body. So Nicole just continued to silently watch.

Wynonna then hooked her foot underneath the body and flipped it over, rolling it onto its front. “Did you see that?” Wynonna asked not looking up as she pointed to the back of the leather waistcoat.

“The R? What about it?” Nicole asked with a light shrug.

“Do you reckon it’s a sign of where he’s from?” Wynonna asked looking at Nicole; it looked like she genuinely wanted the Redhead’s opinion. Nicole’s head suddenly launched her to a few weeks back when Waverly talked about her previous enclave; she wasn’t sure if it was connected but it definitely seemed to fit. Wynonna had noticed Nicole drifted off into her own world, almost like something she had said triggered the woman. “Red! Hello? Wanna stay in the room?” Wynonna shouted waving her hand in Nicole’s face getting the woman’s attention back.

“S..sorry I just thought of something...” Nicole responded slowly as she continued to think back into her memory.

“Yeah I can see that, did you want to share with the class?”

“Sorry, it was something Waverly said...her old enclave was called ‘The Revenants’...,” Nicole replied as she slowly started to connect the dots.

“The Revenants? Why do I know that name? Red? What else do you know?” Wynonna asked as she stalked up to Nicole, getting close to her face. Nicole just looked away ashamed. Wynonna knew that her sister had opened up to Nicole and it was confirmed last night after their little argument. She had spent every day with Waverly in hopes the small brunette would break and finally open up to her but after the fifth time of Waverly making an excuse to leave she knew her sister wasn’t going to be an easy nut to crack.

“I can’t say anymore...,” Nicole shamefully admitted.

“Why the hell not?” Wynonna asked, annoyed that Nicole now didn’t want to tell her anything.

“I can’t, I promised Waverly I wouldn’t. It’s her story to tell, not mine. Last night I broke her trust and I won’t do it again,” Nicole admitted to the angry Earp.

“And you were right when you said you were trying to help if these guys have got anything to do with my sister and she’s not telling anyone...then who knows what may happen next,” Wynonna snapped at Nicole but with a pleading tone.

“I can’t, Waverly needs to tell us, I won’t break that trust again,” Nicole told Wynonna guiltily. She knew she needed to say something but last night was horrible and she didn’t fancy a repeat, she didn’t want to lose Waverly.

“Fine!” Wynonna barked as she spun on her foot and stormed out of the barn. Nicole frowned and ran after the older Earp who was making her way to an old beat up truck.

“Where are you going?” Nicole called to Wynonna as she tried to catch up.

“I’m going to ask my little sister what the hell is going on (Open’s the truck door) You coming Red or you going to play morgue with Mr R in there?” Wynonna shouted not paying attention to where Nicole was as she slammed the door behind her.

“Dammit Wynonna!” Nicole said to herself annoyed as she imagined what Waverly’s reaction to Wynonna’s abrupt visit was going to cause. Nicole jumped in the truck as Wynonna turned on the engine, ready to leave with or without Nicole.

***

Nicole and Wynonna had travelled through town in an uncomfortable silence, Nicole had tried to speak but only received more insults from Wynonna and they were much more vicious than usual. She could tell how upset Wynonna was, she had only known the older woman a week but she could see when Wynonna emotions were true. Anytime she was insulting or aggressive, Wynonna was usually just hiding behind it as a defence but today was different. She had darkness in her eyes that Nicole just couldn’t decipher, it was almost like she had nothing to lose, the same look she had before she knew her sister was still alive.

The drive didn’t take long compared to walking, so thankfully Nicole didn’t have to be trapped with the awkwardness for too long. Wynonna pulled up abruptly outside of Nicole and Waverly’s new home and stormed out of the truck before Nicole could say a word. Wynonna stomped up the porch to the front door where she proceeded to bang her fist on the repetitively.

“Come on Waverly, open up!” Wynonna shouted through the door.

Nicole climbed out of the truck as she watched Wynonna, shaking her head not surprised by the actions.   
“Well, at least she knocked I guess,” Nicole thought to herself as she made her way up the porch and stood next to Wynonna who was one step away from kicking the door down.

“Wynonna...Wynonna!” Nicole shouted to Wynonna who stopped her banging at the sound of her name.

“What?” Wynonna asked, not understanding why the Redhead interrupted her.

“She’s not going to answer the door with you banging on it, move out of the way,” Nicole nudged Wynonna aside with a roll of her eyes. She turned the door handle and slowly pushed the door open into the darkened house. “She’s probably still asleep, wait here for me,”

Nicole made her way upstairs to the master bedroom, nerves began to set in. She had no idea if Waverly was ready to see her yet but with Wynonna on the warpath, it would be better for her to pre-warn the small brunette. She lightly tapped on the bedroom door but there was no answer, so as quietly as she could, Nicole pushed the slightly squeaky door ajar and poked her head in. The old curtains were still closed, leaving the room dark. Pushing the door to the room more fully, Nicole edged herself in.

“Waves...are you still asleep?” Nicole whispered. She looked down at the bed to see that it was made and hadn’t been slept in. The morning before Nicole had created a small dove using twigs out of the garden and had placed it on Waverly’s pillow just before they left the house to go to the Homestead. Even if Waverly hadn’t slept, she would’ve still found the token gift. Nicole spun on her heel and ran back downstairs to Wynonna who had taken the liberty of walking all around the ground floor of the house.

“Wynonna, is she down here?” Nicole called as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Wynonna re-emerged from the kitchen wearing a frown.

“Nope, been all around, even stuck my head outback (Wynonna gestured to the garden) She not in bed?” Wynonna asked.

“The bed’s been untouched, she’s not up there,” Nicole replied as her anxiety grew.

“Dammit Waverly,” Wynonna grumbled to herself as she began to pace around.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let her go last night, what if she got hurt or taken or...-,”

“Ran away?” Wynonna finished.

“What? Why would you even suggest that?” Nicole asked as she began to think of places that Waverly may have gone alone.

“How can I not...you saw the way she was last night and she’s already been dodging my questions...I know you’re blinded by love but do you not find it weird she made you leave your home after one attack, you have superpowers for Christ sake!” Wynonna snapped now edging up to a shocked Nicole.

“I did get hurt we didn’t expect it, she had her reasons for wanting to leave,” Nicole argued for her girlfriend.

“Oh yeah and what were they? And why the hell didn’t you just go straight to the source, what kind of hero are you?” Wynonna pressed.

“Well....they were...it’s complicated but she wouldn’t let me, I was hurt and we had no idea if it was a one off attack or not, although we did catch a guy but he escaped before we woke up,”

“You’re kidding, the guy escaped and you didn’t even think to mention that?”

“No...We flew here; there were no tracks to follow!” Nicole barked back now getting overwhelmed with all the confrontation.

“You ding dong, there’s more than one way to track a person without using tracks!”Wynonna runs a hand through her hair in frustration. What kind of danger had her sister dragged them into?

“We should go and find Waverly,” Nicole stated, now worrying about what may have happened to the smaller woman.

“No...You need to tell me everything about Waverly’s old enclave and don’t say you don’t know because you're a shitty liar,” Wynonna growled at Nicole.

“What about Waverly?” Nicole asked shocked at Wynonna’s priorities.

“The way I see it, she’s either ran away so she’s not dead, or she was killed and if that’s the case she’s probably zombied up by now or the guys who attacked you and Doc has something to do with her disappearing,” Wynonna stated with a steely glare, not looking away from Nicole. “So spill it,” Wynonna walked away and sat down on a chair in the living room and silently waited for Nicole.

Nicole was filled with inner turmoil, she knew what her gut was telling her to do but the other part of her didn’t want to say a word until she found Waverly was safe and sound. She knew Wynonna had a point with what she said; they needed to put this mystery together. She had already caught Waverly lying once but now there were just too many variables that couldn’t be ignored.

With a huff of surrender, Nicole joined Wynonna in the living, sitting opposite her.

“Why did Waverly run away from her enclave Nicole,” Wynonna asked Nicole slowly, doing her best to suppress her anger or there would be no chance of getting any information from the innocent Redhead.

“...She told me that they were a group called ‘The Revenants’ and they found her after she thought you had...ya know...-,”

“Died?” Wynonna cut in to help the Redhead, not wanting this to take too long.

“Uh...yeah, she said that at first it was just her doing odd jobs to earn her keep but recently they wanted her to start pleasing...the men (Nicole grimaced) So she escaped and they chased her which is how she came to meet me... and that’s pretty much all I know,” Wynonna thought for a moment, the story didn’t make any sense to her and she knew Nicole wasn’t lying. Wynonna had a good sense about Nicole but she would never admit it, it was too much fun making the Redhead nervous.

“How did she escape?” Wynonna asked.

“I dunno...I never asked, didn’t think to,” Nicole replied with a frown. Wynonna leant forward in her chair closer to Nicole.

“How does a person the size of my sister escape a whole enclave? I know she’s tough but if the guys who attacked us were anything like the guy in my barn, she would’ve had quite a few obstacles?” Wynonna reasoned with Nicole, doing her best to get the Redhead to think more clearly. Wynonna could see she was blinded by love but love wasn’t going to help them figure out who attacked her and Doc or where Waverly had gone.

“She could’ve outwitted them? Waverly’s clever...maybe they were asleep,” Nicole rationalised.

“Maybe she did but it still doesn’t answer why after ten years, they all of a sudden decided Waverly was the right specimen to pimp out? ...Think about it, Waverly hit puberty a long time ago, why wait until she was twenty one?” Wynonna explained as she tried her best to piece together the holes in the story in her head.

“You think Waverly’s...lying?” Nicole asked shocked by Wynonna many more questions. Wynonna jumped up from her chair and began to pace around making Nicole jump.

“I don’t know Red but something’s up, but I think...yeah I think we need to go back to the Homestead and look at that body! We need to see if there’s any clue of where he’s from, we might find a name...or anything that could link him to that enclave or where he’s from,” Nicole got up from her chair and faced Wynonna.

“We don’t need to, Waverly mentioned a name...,” Nicole said with a sudden realisation. Wynonna stopped pacing; she turned to Nicole and grasped her hands.

“What name?” Nicole looked down at her and Wynonna’s joined hands and then back up to the brunette’s pleading eyes.

“She said the leader was a guy named...um...Bo-...Bobo,” Wynonna dropped the Redhead’s hands in shock. “Do you know that name Wynonna?” Nicole asked with concern. Wynonna just nodded her head.

“He was the reason my daddy and older sister died...when the virus broke out everybody was at a town hall meeting...Bobo and his guys led zombies into the hall and locked the doors behind them...Daddy sent me, Waverly and Willa to escape out the back but Willa was daddy’s favourite and she didn’t want to leave him behind so she ran back to help. So I took Waverly and we ran...they were ripped apart,” Wynonna admitted as her mind drifted back to that fateful day, tears already streaming down her face.

Nicole looked at Wynonna nervously, not sure what to do. She had never heard about how Waverly’s family died, and now she was hearing it and observing the most emotion she had ever seen Wynonna express. She placed her hand on Wynonna’s shoulder in comfort.

“I’m sorry Nonna, the same happened to my parents...,” Was all Nicole could manage to say. Wynonna took a deep breath and wiped her face, moving away from the Redhead.

“No time for a pity party Red, Waverly obviously lied because she didn’t want me to know about him because I’d be pissed but still doesn’t explain why he’s after her...,”

“So what do we do now?” Nicole asked, her brain still trying to process everything.

“I know exactly what to do but first we need to get back to the Homestead, come on stretch!” Wynonna stated as she raced out of the front door, back to the truck.

“Stretch?” Nicole thought to herself confused by the new nickname. Taking one look back in the room, Nicole shook her thoughts away and chase after Wynonna who had already started up the truck.

***

Waverly woke up with a splitting headache and a tight feeling around her wrists. She could feel she was in a standing position with her head sagging down and her arms above her head. Slowly she opened her eyes; she was in a large dark room. There was nothing in there except for a door at the back of the room. Waverly tugged her arms to try and move but was restricted; she turned her head to look up to see she was chained to the ceiling.

Waverly began to scream, her voice bounced off the echoed walls as she pulled on the chain to loosen herself. The door opened in the back of the room and a figure entered. Waverly stopped her movements to focus on whoever had entered. The footsteps got closer until a dark figure walked into Waverly’s eyesight. The only light in the room was a small dim lamp placed by Waverly. The figure walked in to reveal Bobo. He stood there with a smug smile in his leather pants and army boots coupled with his oversized fur coat he always wore.

“Waverly, my angel, it’s so good to see you’ve come back,” Bobo greeted Waverly with an evil look in his eyes.

“It wasn’t exactly consenting,” Waverly replied dryly.

“You shouldn’t have run away then, we still have a job to do you and me,” Bobo replied more menacingly as he edged towards the chained woman.

“Things change,” Waverly responded, she didn’t want to reply but she couldn’t help herself.

“Ah yes...young love, we have been watching you, my boys are everywhere,” Bobo said as he stopped inches away from Waverly. Waverly pulled her head back as much as she could, putting space between her and the hot breath that was spreading across her face.

“You can’t make me help you, I won’t!” Waverly snapped holding back tears. Bobo snarled and lunged forward, grabbing Waverly’s face in his hands.

“I don’t need to, you’re doing your job just by being here...you’ve always been good as bait. Now be a good girl and shut it! No one can hear you in here! Keep your mouth shut and when the job’s done I might just not kill you (Bobo let’s go of Waverly face with veracity) ...but I’m not letting you go angel. Not this time,” Bobo spat at Waverly. No waiting for a response the man spun around and headed back into the darkness leaving a petrified Waverly.

The door slammed hard, the echo’s filling the room. Waverly was left back in the dark silence on her own again. She had screwed up so much with everything and had lied so much that no one was going to trust her ever again. She could only pray that Wynonna and Nicole didn’t figure out her lies, the further away they stayed, the safe they’d be.


	14. Chapter 14

The truck sped up the gravel Homestead driveway, stopping just outside of the house. Wynonna and Nicole jumped out of the car to be greeted by Doc sitting on the porch smoking a cigar.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Wynonna asked as she made her way up to the man on the porch with Nicole following close behind.

“Why hello Wynonna, nice of you to make an appearance. I did call for help earlier but to my dismay the house was empty...could you ascertain as to why that is?” Doc calmly asked in his southern drawl.

“Waverly’s gone and we don’t know where she is...but I did find out her old enclave was run by Bobo Del Ray...,” Wynonna explained as she shot Nicole an annoyed look for holding back the information. Doc dropped his cigar out of his mouth in shock and jumped to his feet.

“That son of a bitch?!” Doc swore jumping up from his spot sitting on the steps.

“You know him?” Nicole asked following Doc’s reaction.

“Anyone who’s travelled around these parts knows him, he’s ruthless and not someone to be messed with,” Doc declared.

“Have you ever met him?” Nicole asked as she watched Doc’s demeanour change so quickly.

“Only once many years ago, it was only brief but I could feel the evil poor from his body,” Doc sneered thinking back.

“Did you speak to him?” Nicole now intrigued to know what this Bobo character was like.

“Oh I spoke to him, that son of a bitch was taking away all my possessions, he said I was passing through his land and I was being taxed if I wasn’t surrounded by all his cronies I would’ve put a bullet square in his head!” Doc stated as the anger built in him.

“And I wish you had! That asshole was causing trouble long before the zombies!” Wynonna snapped.

“And Miss Waverly is gone?” Doc asks pulling his mind away from Bobo.

“She hasn’t been home and we didn’t see her on the drive, I’m really worried about her,” Nicole told Doc doing her best not to break her strong exterior in front of the man and woman. Doc just nodded along as he listened.

“So what’s the plan, we can’t stay out here all day?” Doc asked the two agitated women.

“We find Waverly” Nicole replied

“We go kill Bobo!” Wynonna replied at the same time. The two women looked at each other perplexed by each other’s statement.

“Wynonna what are you talking about?” Nicole couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Waverly is gone and we need to find her!”

“Yeah and if we go crack Bobo’s nut that’s where we most likely find her Red, It’s too coincidental with the attacks and the lies, he’s got her and we have to go there!” Wynonna rationalised.

“And what if we go there and Waverly’s still not there? We shouldn’t go there until we have more proof!” Nicole argued back, she wasn’t interested in Bobo; she just wanted to find the woman she loved and finally get some answers.

“Hello! Earth to Red! Isn’t the dead body in our barn proof enough?” Wynonna shouts gesturing towards the barn.

“We still don’t know if that’s Bobo’s goon!” Nicole defended loudly.

“He has a big R on his back! You don’t need to be Sherlock to put it all together!” Wynonna said exasperatedly with the Redhead.

“Who’s Sherlock?” Nicole innocently asked trying to search for the name in her mind. Wynonna rolled her eyes.

“Thanks, Red, you didn’t make me feel old at all...go crack some more books open after all this...,” Wynonna rested her forehead down on Doc’s shoulder and took a deep breath before turning her attention back to a confused looking Nicole. Wynonna composed herself so she could speak more calmly. “Nicole I can tell your smart...little bit weird...but clever, you know the evidence is undeniable, Waverly has lied to all of us and now I think it’s got her in trouble...,” Nicole thought for a moment, after being called weird she didn’t want to say anything out loud so resigned to her own head. She knew that Wynonna was right, as much as she loved Waverly, some things just didn’t add up.

“Ok even if I see your point, what if we get there and she isn’t?” Nicole asked trying her best not to think of the worst.

“Honestly...I have no idea all we can do is leave a note behind in case she comes back (turns to Doc) can you stay here in case she does come back?” Wynonna asked her beloved. As pissed as she was, Waverly was still her sister and she couldn’t be heartless.

“I’m afraid I cannot Wynonna but I’ll surely look out for her on the drive...,” Doc admitted.

“Where are you going?” Wynonna asked now confused.

“Why to Bobo’s encampment,” Doc answered matter of fact.

“But you’re injured...,” Wynonna replied.

“I can still shoot a pistol, I can stay outside as an easy getaway and a diversion if needs be...I have enough dynamite to turn the Grand Canyon into a hole and I can’t wait to use it,” Doc said quite pleased with himself. “I won’t let you both go there alone,” Doc stated more serious now.

Nicole shifted uncomfortably on the spot, she had once offered to go and defend Waverly’s honour by going after Bobo herself and the small brunette had warned her off. The odds were stacked against her but this time she had a lot more control of her powers, well the ones that she knew about anyway. Doc and Wynonna were still speaking between themselves, not noticing that Nicole had been quiet for a while.

  
“When I was going to confront Bobo before Waverly told me it was unsafe as I was alone and my powers were temperamental but if it means finding and saving Waverly from danger, then I’m willing to go...,” Nicole said out of nowhere making Wynonna jump and turn in her direction. Nicole knew that this conversation would keep going in circles and the longer they waited the worse everything could get.

“Well you’re not going alone Red; I’ll be there to back you up. We will both find Waverly and figure out what the hell is going on,” Wynonna stated with a determined look. “We can all go and make a plan on the drive...,”

“Drive? I figured it would be quicker to fly...Cars are just loud and unnecessary...plus they’re really bad for the environment...,” Nicole explained as she started to go off on a tangent.

“Really? You’re worried about global warming? We live in a world with Zombies and you’re worried about car emissions?” Wynonna asked with a raised eyebrow, unable to fathom Nicole’s logic. Nicole nodded her head.

“Plus they’re really slow and I’m not. I don’t run on petrol,” Nicole stated seriously as Wynonna and Doc just looked at her with slight confusion.

“I take it you’ve been to Bobo’s dwellings before then?” Doc asked now addressing Nicole.

“Well...no but I found Waverly near my old camp so I figured it would be nearby?” Nicole shrugged like it was an obvious response.

“Miss Nicole I have actually been there on my travels; it would be a lot easier to come with me,” Doc reasoned.

“I stand by what I said. Car’s are loud and stupid and wouldn’t give us an advantage. Mr Nedley taught me to always go in quiet in any situation as you never know what to expect even if you’ve been to the place before...although he really didn’t like noise, maybe he just said that to shut me up...,” Nicole trailed off and started muttering to herself. Wynonna stayed quiet just watching the interaction between Doc and Nicole whilst Doc just shook his head and took a step towards the Redhead.

“Excuse me Darling but I really do think...-,”

“I’ll fly with her,” Wynonna suddenly cut in grabbing Doc and Nicole’s reaction.

“Huh?” Nicole asked.

“I should fly with Nicole and follow you in the car...she’s right Doc (Wynonna walks over to Doc and takes his hand) Car’s are loud and we have no clue how many people Bobo has working for him. If we follow we can scope out the area and sneak in, whilst you stick with your plan and stay on the outskirts just in case. If they do notice your car before we’re there...well...bonus, we can sneak in a lot easier,” Wynonna explained now looking to Nicole as well to see her reaction.

“That’s very risky Wynonna,” Doc warned his beloved.

“We don’t have many options, what do you think Red?” Wynonna addressed Nicole. Nicole looked between Wynonna and Doc, she knew the older brunette was right, there were no other options and time was running out.

“If you think it will work then I’m with you but if we do this we should probably go now, better to sneak in when it’s dark...,” Nicole agreed. Wynonna broke out in a huge smile.

“That’s what I like to hear Red, you might not be so bad,” Wynonna said slapping a hand on Nicole’s shoulder, nudging her to the side slightly from the impact. Doc pulled a cigar out of his pocket and headed over to the truck. “Hey, where are you going?” Wynonna called to her boyfriend who was casually sneaking away.

Doc stopped and turned back to Wynonna with a smirk on his face. “Why Darling, I just want a head start and it would seem this conversation is over,” Wynonna just shook her head and strutted over to Doc who was now lighting his cigar. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. So much adrenaline was coursing through her and seeing Doc willing to jump into action for her just reminded her of what she saw in him all those years ago. The man and woman kissed as if they would never see each other again, making an awkward Nicole shift uncomfortably doing her best to look anywhere but in their direction.

“Ahem,” Nicole coughed to make her presence known after a couple of minutes of waiting for Wynonna and Doc. Wynonna reluctantly pulled away from each other, still not looking in Nicole’s direction.

“Stay safe, we won’t be too far behind,” Wynonna tells doc with a soothing hand on his jawline.

“Don’t worry darling, I’m gonna go get my stash of weapons from town and then head on, everything will be fine,” Doc reassured Wynonna. He took her hand from his face and placed a kiss on it before dropping her hand and opening the driver’s door of the truck. “One more thing, how will I know if you need back up?”

“Probably from the sounds of shooting and screaming,” Wynonna casually said earning a raised eyebrow from Nicole. Doc just nodded with the tip of his hat and got in the truck. He drove off of the Homestead, leaving the two women behind to follow.

Wynonna watched the dust settle in the wake of Doc leaving, following the truck as long as her eyesight would allow. She turned away once the truck was gone and walked up to a quiet Nicole.

“Do you need anything before we go?” Nicole asked not knowing what else to ask, now eager to get on with their mission.

“I’m good, I’ve got peacemaker (Wynonna patted the gun in her boot) we can go now,” Wynonna said her demeanour already changed since being around Doc.

“Ok...,” Nicole agreed. She stepped towards Wynonna and slightly bent her body to pick the brunette up. As her hand went to hook under Wynonna’s legs, she felt a slap to the back of the head. Nicole jumped up rubbing the spot that was just hit. “Ow! What was that for?” Nicole asked annoyed.

“Are you joking? What were you doing?” Wynonna snapped just as insulted.

“I was going to pick you up so we can fly...unless you can do it without me?” Nicole questioned annoyed by Wynonna’s reaction.

“You have to cradle me like a baby to fly?” Wynonna barked.

“I am not going to cradle you like a baby, besides I carry Waverly like that all the time,” An exasperated Nicole told Wynonna.

“You’re boning my sister, not me. I am not going to be held by you the whole way,” Wynonna said pointing an angry finger at Nicole.

“So what do you suggest?” Nicole asked now fed up with the waste of time because of this argument.

“....Piggyback ride,” Wynonna stated.

“Seriously? How would that even work?” Nicole asked she had only carried a couple of people whilst flying and that was difficult enough, the thought of someone on her back just made everything difficult.

“Easy I climb on your back and just wrap my legs around like a koala so you can still use your hands and do that superman thing,” Wynonna replied now finding the situation humorous again, especially with the bewildered expression that Nicole was sporting. Nicole just let out a sigh of defeat; they didn’t have the time to argue especially with a stubborn Wynonna. So Nicole turned her back on Wynonna and crouched a little bit so Wynonna could jump up easily.

“Come on then,” Said a fed up Nicole. Wynonna almost squealed in excitement, she readied her body, swinging her arms back and forth before a little run and hop and jumping up on Nicole’s back. Nicole quickly grabbed Wynonna’s legs and steadied herself so they wouldn’t both fall.

“Ok, beam me up, Scotty!” Wynonna shouted, happy she had got her own way, ready to take off to the skies.

“Who’s Scotty?” Nicole turned her head to her shoulder to address Wynonna.

“Who’s? Oh Jesus...remind me to take you to a library when we get back Red, your lack of pop culture makes me feel so old,” Wynonna shook her head in disbelief.

Nicole just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the task at hand. She shifted the body on her back so she felt more balanced and closed her eyes. This time she didn’t even have to concentrate, the wind was already building a coating around herself and Wynonna. This time though the soil built up under the Redhead’s feet and thrust her into the air like a natural spring, giving her natural momentum and speed, something Wynonna was not prepared for as her arms clamped around Nicole, almost choking her.

“Oh fuuuuuuck!” Wynonna screamed as she was pulled through the sky like a rocket, making Nicole glad that Wynonna couldn’t see the smirk that had spread across her face.

***

The floors felt like sandpaper under Waverly’s heels, she had been untied from her darkened room and now had two large burly men with their arms hooked under Waverly’s and dragging her down a makeshift corridor. The walls were made from old road signs whilst the floor was pure dirt and gravel. Waverly’s body was so tired and exhausted that she didn’t even fight the men at any point from when they arrived to collect her up until that moment. She had realised how badly she had fucked up. She had lied to everyone that she loved and now she was paying the price. If only she had warned them about Bobo then maybe this wouldn’t have happened but then she would’ve had to tell everyone who she really was, and she would lose Nicole and Wynonna all over again.

She felt like she had been dragged for miles, the lighting was terrible and she could barely see anything. Candles were scattered everywhere but only enough to make the floor visible, Bobo had always been one for sneaking in the shadows and loved to make it difficult for his enemies to find him. The two men dragged Waverly like she was ball attached to a string like she was light as air. They dragged her for what felt like miles, before pulling her into another large room, only this one looked like an amphitheatre. There was a large stage in the middle of the room whilst mismatched chairs surrounded it. Bobo was stood on the well-lit stage, next to an empty metal chair.

“Waverly, it’s so good to see you!” Bobo beamed in a menacing way, as though he hadn’t already seen and threatened the young woman. Waverly flinched at the man waiting for her, the light from the stage made her squint down at the floor.

As Waverly grew closer, the two men pulled her dead weight body up a couple of steps and lifted her and placed her in the empty chair, then proceeded to tie her arms and legs to the chair itself. Waverly lazily lifted her head to look up at the leering Bobo.

“I think I preferred the other room...you weren’t in it,” Waverly said dryly making Bobo drop his fake smile.

“You know after everything I’ve done for you, you’d think you’d be just a bit more respectful. You already disrespected me by not coming home with my treasure, don’t make me have to hurt you,” Bobo sneered at the brunette.

“Who cares...do your worst,” Waverly replied shaking her head in defeat.

“Why would I do that before our guests arrive?” Bobo placed a hand to his chest in fake surprise. Waverly’s whips her head up to look at Bobo in shock.

“W...What?” Waverly stuttered.

“Wynonna and your new little friend of course,” Bobo said with wide eyes.

“No...,” Waverly shook her head, trying to convince herself that Bobo was just playing mind games with her. Bobo leant down with his hands placed on either arm of the chair and moved his face closer to Waverly’s.

“I told you I had eyes everywhere...they already know your lying...won’t be long before they come looking for you,” Bobo taunted as Waverly as she held on to the tears that were threatening to fall. Bobo kept eye contact with Waverly for a moment before standing up and pacing around her chair.

“I don’t believe you...you’re just trying to get into my head. Like you always did,” Waverly spat, still holding back the tears that were now causing her eyes to burn.

“Now now my angel, you know that I may be many things but a liar is not one of them,” Bobo stood in front of the woman again, waging his finger at her. Waverly could feel the bile building in her throat, wishing she could just run away.

“Then why did you tell me my sister was dead!” Waverly snapped through gritted teeth, unable to look up at Bobo through all her rage.

“I didn’t, whoever found you did. It’s not lying if you don’t speak...besides even if you knew you would never have left,” Bobo stroked a finger down Waverly’s cheek, making the brunette look at him in disgust.

“How could I, look at what you turned me into!” Waverly screamed.

“You chose your own path, I merely gave you options,” Bobo answer matter of fact.

“I was a child! I had no options!” Waverly growled at Bobo, the tears now streaming down her face, remembering her life over the last 10 years.

“You say what you want Waverly but I never had a gun to your head whereas now you definitely don’t have any options,” Bobo snapped, his eyes now growing darker. He stared Waverly down for a moment as Waverly’s eyes widened at his statement. Bobo looked up and clicked his fingers; a man wearing a lab coat appeared from the shadows carrying a small briefcase and joined Bobo on the stage.

Waverly looked between the two men panicked, she had antagonised Bobo and now she was going to regret it. She started yanking her arms, doing her best to loosen the rope holding her down.   
“What are you going to do to me, Bobo?” Waverly warned, her breathing becoming more panicked.

“We’re going to prepare for our guests and well...you owe me for all the trouble and worry that you put me through,” Bobo said putting on his best oblivious act.

“No I won’t do anything for you anymore; I would rather die than be your puppet again,” Waverly barked back as she struggled with her binds more so.

“Then lucky for me, you’re not really in any situation to argue,” Bobo shrugged and snapped his fingers again. The two men, who had dragged Waverly in, joined them back on the stage and both pinned Waverly’s shoulders back so she couldn’t move.

The man in the lab coat opened the briefcase and pulled out a long syringe and a small green vial. With shaky hands, the man filled the syringe and turned his attention to Waverly, he stepped towards the woman unable to look her in the face.

“No...Please! What are you going to do?” Waverly screamed now hysterical as she tried her best to fight what was about to happen but the hand pressed against her were just too strong.

“Don’t worry angel, you’ll find out soon enough or perhaps not,” Bobo chuckled to himself as he turned away, allowing the man in the lab coat to continue his work.

“No...No...No...No,” Waverly whispered to herself as the man got closer.

The man placed a hand on her arm and pulled her shirt sleeve up to reveal her smooth, untouched arm. The man took one more nervous gulp and inserted the syringe into Waverly’s arm, pushing the chemical into her body.

Waverly screamed out into the room, the pain was unbearable. Her screams travelled down the corridor as the darkness took over and suddenly everything fell silent and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of an empty syringe falling to the ground.


	15. Chapter 15

A couple of hours after setting off on their quest, Nicole and Wynonna we’re slowly flying over the tops of forests as they kept a safe distance behind Doc’s truck. They mainly kept to a slow speed after Wynonna had threatened to throw up all over Nicole after her abrupt start to their journey. As tempting as it was to test Wynonna she decided it would just save hours of arguments if she did what the brunette asked. So as Wynonna clung on to her for dear life, Nicole had done her best to focus on the task at hand, she ignored all of Wynonna’s incessant insults and moaning by just thinking of Waverly. She hadn’t been away from the smaller woman for so long since they met and the last thing they did was argue. She had never had the chance to save Nedley and she sure as hell wasn’t going to fail the woman she loved. She needed to make everything ok and prove that Waverly hadn’t done anything wrong, no matter what Wynonna may think.

They had flown past Nicole’s old tree house a while ago and were now getting deeper into the forest. The trees were a lot closer together and more dense. They could barely see anything, they just made sure to have their view on the dirt road as they watched Doc’s truck come to a slow stop at the top of a half-covered hilltop. Nicole slowed herself down and looked ahead of the truck. They could see a large fence all along the bottom of the hill. The fence was made out of old used bricks, almost unstable. The bricks hadn’t been cemented properly, it was like mismatched Lego but it did the job of keeping anyone or anything else out. There were men situated around the wall, every 10 feet there was a man keeping guard all the way around. Nicole couldn’t see any way of getting in without being noticed. Her eyes traced all the way around the wall, just about seeing the tops of buildings inside the walls, a small town hidden away. As she looked all around, Nicole felt a sharp poke to her shoulder, almost knocking her off balance.

“Ah dammit Wynonna! What?” Nicole snapped at Wynonna as she looked over her shoulder at the brunette.

“Look over there!” Wynonna pointed to the left of Nicole, there was a man keeping guard over some kind of hatch in the denser side of the woods. “Land over there, that could be our way in,”

Nicole just nodded her head and moved to the left, signalling down to Doc where they were going as they headed away. The Redhead lowered herself and the other woman down in amongst the trees, careful not to make too much noise. Having an extra weight on her back had made navigation a lot more difficult than usual, nor did she expect to be flying for so long, she could only pray that her energy levels didn’t drop too much. Taking a deep breath, Nicole closed her eyes and grabbed onto the sides of Wynonna’s legs firmly and before Wynonna could protest at the inappropriate touching, Nicole had shot them down, moving the branches with her mind for a smooth landing for the two of them. Nicole instantly let go of Wynonna as soon as her feet touched the ground, dropping a disgruntled Wynonna to the ground with a soft thud.

Ignoring the annoyed body on the ground, Nicole kept low and crept behind some large bushes close to them. Wynonna climbed to her knees and she threw dirty looks Nicole’s direction as she brushed the dirt and grass off of her. She crawled towards Nicole who was now peering through the bush in the direction of the guard who they had spotted in the sky.

“You drop me like that again Red and I’ll make it so you won’t be able to carry anyone again!” Wynonna hissed so they wouldn’t be heard.

Nicole just frowned and looked back to Wynonna. “That doesn’t even make any sense!” The redhead whispered back.

“Well drop me again and it will!” Wynonna whispered forcibly. Nicole just shook her head at the insane threat and turned her attention to the guard.

“Doesn’t look like there’s anyone else around...,” Nicole told the brunette.

“Then we should take him out before they have change over or something,” Wynonna replied in a low tone. Nicole just nodded and pushed her hand through the bush aimed at the guard; she took a deep breath and closed her eyes when she felt a hand on her arm.

“Ah ah ah...calm down, we don’t need any unwanted attention when you go all Poison Ivy on his ass,” Wynonna told the Redhead, and before Nicole could respond Wynonna had already made her way out of the woods and was sneaking up behind the guard. Nicole watched on whilst holding her breathe, waiting for her moment where she may have to jump in and save Wynonna from being caught out.

Wynonna tiptoed behind the guard who still had his back turned, unable to see the woman approaching him. Being the cocky person that Wynonna was, she turned around to face Nicole’s direction wearing a shit-eating grin and thumbs up before turning back and yanking on the gun in her boot and pulling it free. In a swift moment, Wynonna lightly threw the gun in the air so she could grab it by the barrel and smoothing hit the guard in the back of the head with the butt. The guard turned his head to look at Wynonna before passing out to the floor with a deep thud. Wynonna then turn back to the bush that Nicole was hiding behind.

“Pssst...Red, get out here!” Wynonna called out in a low tone, making sure not to be heard by anyone.

Nicole remembered that she was still hidden when she realised that Wynonna was calling her. Looking around her, looking for anyone other guards, Nicole scrambled up out of the bush and crept over to Wynonna who had now taken residence on the unconscious guard and was casually sat on his back. Nicole had her back slightly hunched over as she stepped cautiously, looking all around her, never letting her guard down.

“Are you done? We’re not exactly surrounded or was the flying for nothing?” Wynonna drawled watching Nicole’s antics. Nicole stood up straight and rolled her eyes.

“Sorry I wanted to stay vigilant,” Nicole explained feeling a little silly, still finding it difficult trying to act like something she wasn’t around Wynonna. Wynonna had a very subtle way of making Nicole feel inferior; she never normally cared what people think but every time they were together Nicole tried to emulate something that she had always viewed as boring and uninteresting. Perhaps it was because Wynonna was Waverly’s sister and Nicole didn’t want to be viewed as not good enough for the youngest Earp or perhaps there was something in Wynonna that Nicole could’ve seen herself becoming if she had stayed alone long enough or perhaps the innocent Redhead just wanted to be viewed as the adult that she actually was.

“Well stop that and help me move this load,” Wynonna gestured to the man beneath her as she got back to her feet. Nicole's eye’s turned white again as she envisioned the tree helping her, and in seconds the branches of the nearest tree shot out and wrapped its branches around the unconscious man. It tightened its binds and pulled him into the forest with the two women following. The body slowly dragged with Nicole also having the soil fold in on itself so any tracks would be hidden. The body stopped just under a large bush and the leaves draped down covering the mouth of the man. Once she was done, Nicole turned to Wynonna and her white eyes turned back to normal.

“That good enough? Nicole asked with a degree of cockiness before her body moved in a slight daze making Wynonna place a concerned hand on the Redhead’s shoulder to balance her.

“You ok Red?” Wynonna asked genuinely. Nicole took a deep breath with wide eyes, willing the faint feeling in her head to disappear.

“Uh...yeah. Just done a lot, I’ll be fine once we find Waverly,” Wynonna eyeballed Nicole suspiciously.

“You sure Red? Don’t think I can handle any more lies, especially if you get me killed,” Wynonna asked with an abrasive tone. Nicole took a deep breath, concentrating on the nature around her, willing it to send her energy, to give her the strength she needed to get through everything.

“Positive, this sometimes happens after a burst of energy...if we just go slowly for a bit I should be fine,” Nicole told Wynonna honestly as she exhaled the deep breath she had been holding.

“Not a problem because now’s for the sneaky stuff, just stay behind me and we might just get in without anyone noticing,” Wynonna responding as her cocky grin returned and left Nicole in the forest as she went to the now unmanned hatch. Nicole frowned and looked to where Wynonna had left.

“What do you mean ‘might’?” Nicole called as she caught on to what was said. Nicole just shook her head unsurprised by Wynonna’s attitude and reluctantly followed behind.

The two women looked down at the old wooden hatch which hadn’t been locked because the hatch was so obviously old that it was more surprising the thing hadn’t fallen apart. It was more like a rotten plant that had been placed over a hole in the ground, directly next to the encampment walls. As Nicole watched on, Wynonna hooked her foot under a small gap in the hatch and proceeded to pull the wood up until some of the rotted wood snapped off. A gaping hole was left as the excess wood was pulled away. Wynonna got down on her knees and used both of her hands to wrench the hatch backwards. The old wood creaked and squeaked as it was convinced to pull away from its hinges. The sudden force threw Wynonna onto her back, still clutching the old wooden door.  
Nicole jumped at this, rushing over to a slightly dazed Wynonna and helped her to her feet as the brunette discarded the wooden hatch and brushed the fresh dirt off of her jeans.

“Well that was bitch...,” Wynonna grumbled to herself ignoring Nicole’s help and trudging back over to the now open hole in the ground.

“Don’t you think all this was a bit too easy?” Nicole asked suspiciously as Wynonna continued to look down the hole. Wynonna looked back at the Redhead and sighed.

“It probably is...but it’s a bit late to turn around. We can either head in and just deal with what’s coming or we can give up now and hope for the best?” Wynonna propositioned Nicole knowing full well they didn’t have many options. If they left now Bobo would find one of his men was attacked and would be prepared in the future.

“Well obviously turning back isn’t an option...I just can’t help but get the feeling something’s off...,” Nicole said as she looked all around them for anyone watching. She couldn’t shake the feeling they were walking in on something more dangerous than either of the women would’ve expected.

Wynonna slapped a hand on Nicole’s back, bringing the Redhead’s attention back to them.  
“Come on, less thinking and more doing!” Wynonna told Nicole as she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. Then the brunette slipped down into the hatch ending the discussion. Nicole bent forward and looked into the darkness, doing her best to see Wynonna but the darkness bested her as the brunette travelled further down. The stress of the journey and losing Waverly was getting to Nicole; she couldn’t keep up with the thoughts and feelings within her. There was always a reason she always spoke her mind, it made life so much easier to deal with. So Nicole dealt with the situation in the most natural way, she made Nicole disappear. Nicole took a deep breath centring herself before a huge smile formed across her face.

“Aaargh! I be finding that treasure first you hear...she’s priceless!” Nicole said acting like a pirate again, her imagination taking over reality again. Lowering herself to the floor, Nicole slipped into the dark hatch and placed her feet on a couple of pegs sticking out of the wall. Feeling around her, Nicole found instead of steps or a ladder, there were just random pegs placed strategically in the walls and continued downwards. Steadily she made her way down deeper into the Earth, not quite sure of how far the hole went.  
“Wynonna! Did you be reaching the bottom?!” Nicole shouted down still acting like a pirate. There was silence for a moment as Nicole’s voice finished echoing off the walls.

“Yeah it’s not a far climb...and what’s wrong with your voice weirdo?!” Wynonna responded back with a confused tone.

Nicole just giggled to herself in a child-like way. Wynonna had always reminded her of a female Nedley, she acted like she didn’t care but she did really and her goal was just to protect everyone, just like Nedley. It brought calmness to the Redhead; it reminded her of her time growing up with him, hearing the tone in his voice when Nicole had disappeared into a dream world, like he found it exhausting but really it helped to entertain him as well. Thinking about it she didn't know why she pretended to be something else around Wynonna, the brunette never asked her to act another way, Nicole just assumed she had to.

  
When Nicole could sense she wasn’t far from the floor, she let go of the small pegs and dropped the rest of the way. She landed with a thud; the floor was hard and covered in dried dirt. She looked around her to see the cavern around her; there was a tunnel that was manmade and only leading in one direction. Wynonna was already starting to follow the direction of the tunnel, not bothering to wait for Nicole to catch up.  
Nicole just kicked at the dirt and dragged her fingertips along the muddy, rigid walls as she followed behind, not worrying about catching up when she still had Wynonna in her sights.

The walk was a short one, with a bright light appearing near to the end and the irony wasn’t lost on either woman. As the light came into view, Nicole caught up with Wynonna in preparation for whatever they may walk in on. Side by side the two women reached a small doorway with a bright natural light streaming through the dark muggy tunnel, Wynonna looked to Nicole with a screwed up look on her face, Nicole was chewing but there didn’t appear to be anything in her mouth. The Redhead then mimicked spitting as she looked at the doorway but nothing came out of her mouth. Nicole looked back at the confused brunette who was now rubbing her temples, not wanting to even ask. Instead, Wynonna grabbed Nicole’s hand firmly and led them through the doorway, the symbol of protectiveness not being missed by the Redhead. They stepped out in to a bright white room, there was only one other doorway and a ladder off to the side that seemed to lead to another hatch, one of the doorway’s must have led to the actual camp, this must have been just a secret pass through to escape enemies or just to keep some secrets.

They perused the room, the walls were littered with scientific and mathematic books, and there was one desk that was clear. There was nothing onto of it or in the draws, like it was there for show rather than to work at. Wynonna had her head up to the glass of the other door, which seemed more like a heavy door for a walk-in fridge rather than an entrance to the camp. It was dark through the doorway, Wynonna could only squint but unable to see anything.

“Gaaargh, do ye need me to look, myself and the darkness are like kin,” Nicole growled in her pirate voice as she watched Wynonna leave the door, after being unable to open it either. Nicole’s imagination was really taking over now, all the stresses from before disappearing and slowly replenishing her strength. Wynonna just looked at her and rolled her eyes and nodded her head. She had expected some underhanded comment or insult to come from Wynonna but shockingly nothing. Compared to when they first met, Wynonna seemed to just let it go, which surprised Nicole but also thankful that she had found another person who was ok with just letting her be her. Nicole went to the window in the doorway and squinted her eyes, as her powers developed she found they were more sensitive than normal humans, her eyes could adjust a lot better to natural light and darkness than others. It was almost like looking through night vision goggles, except nothing was green; instead the outline of every living thing and object was more defined just to her.

“Wynonna...this isn’t the door for us...” Nicole said with wide eyes, her pirate alter ago quickly disappeared. Wynonna was looking at the titles of the books on the wall when Nicole’s words made her stop and turn around.

“What’s in there Red?” Wynonna asked cautiously.

“Well...it turns out I didn’t manage to wipe out all the Zombies...,” Nicole said, not able to turn her face away from the window.

“Are there some in there?” Wynonna asked as she stepped back towards Nicole with concern and confusion on her face. Nicole gulped and turned back to Wynonna.

“Some...yes...hundreds,” Nicole replied nervously at the unexpected discovery.

“What? All behind that door? How big is the room? What the hell is Bobo planning?” Wynonna asked in disbelief.

“I have no idea but obviously big enough to hold that many zombies...do you think I should go in and get rid of them?” Nicole asked not wanting them to hit any troubles. Wynonna thought for a moment, she couldn’t see the zombies but could only believe what Nicole told her and not believing the Redhead to be capable of lying.

“No let’s leave them, their locked away and you never know they might come in handy...,” Wynonna told Nicole.

“What if they don’t?” Nicole asked.

“Then we’ll get them on the way back out, either way we need to keep moving, the longer we take, the more chance we get of being seen,” Wynonna told Nicole. The further in the two women got, the more jittery Wynonna became. She was in way over her head but there was no chance of showing that. All she could do was what she did best, go with the flow and pray not to get killed. Nicole looked from Wynonna to the ceiling with a gulp.

“Guess we’re going up then? Should we go one at a time or...?” Nicole could only dread what was behind that hatch; she didn’t think she could handle any more unwanted surprises.

“First rule of a horror film Red...never split up,” Wynonna stated with a quirked eyebrow. “We head up together and if it’s bad at least we have an exit now,” Both women just looked at each other with a silent agreement.

Quietly they made their way up the creaky ladder and up to the hatch. Wynonna went first with Nicole following behind. Once they made it to the top, Wynonna pushed on the hatch and it jolted instantly, it wasn’t locked. Wynonna looked down at Nicole unsure and back to the hatch; she pressed a hand against the cold metal hatch and slowly pushed. The hatch gradually opened letting a small amount of light through. Wynonna made a big enough gap just so she could look through. After a few seconds, Wynonna closed the hatch and looked back down.

“Ok, when I say go, we climb straight out and follow me to cover,” Wynonna ordered.

“What’s out there? Is it Bobo’s men? Zombies? Sea Urchins?” Nicole asked, her mind getting carried away.

“Sea Urchin? This is why I’m going first,” Wynonna stated shaking her head. Cautiously the brunette pushed on the hatch again and pushed it upwards leaving a small gap again. She looked through the small hatch. “Ok...GO!” Wynonna shouted in whisper. Wynonna slid through the gap in the hatch and wriggled through. Nicole instinctively followed; she wriggled herself through the small gap. Not even looking around and focussing on Wynonna’s boots, she follow the woman to a pile of flour bags and jumped behind them, as she let the hatch fall shut behind her and sat next to Wynonna breathing heavily. Her heart was beating so fast she could feel the vibrations tingling through her tongue and her ears throbbed with blood rushing around her body.

Nicole couldn’t bear to look to see if they had been seen, she looked next to her to see Wynonna getting her breath back also. She slowly peeked over her shoulder, she could see an open space with sheds and tents littered the area along the wall. They had made it inside the camp; Nicole could see a couple of people in the distance but no one near them. Nicole turned back to Wynonna who was also peeking over her shoulder now.

“Where is everyone? Shouldn’t there be more people around, like living here...or working...passing through...or other stuff?” Nicole trailed off as she asked suspiciously in a low whisper.

“Maybe they’ve gone hunting? I don’t really care, I just want to get to that door over there, (Wynonna gestured to door on the opposite side of the camp that seemed to lead to a bigger building) If Bobo’s anywhere then it’ll be in there and if he’s got Waverly then I bet she’s in there too,” Wynonna whispered as she pointed to the doorway, making sure to stay low.

“How are we supposed to get there without being noticed? And what if the doors locked?” Nicole asked nervously about the lack of people around them.

“Firstly the door won’t be locked, nothing has been so far except for the zombie pen downstairs and as for being noticed, I’m going to sneak around and if they see me, you cause a distraction, the hatch isn’t too far away if there’s a problem,” Wynonna told Nicole but it was more like an order.

“How do you seem so sure of yourself?” Nicole asked, still hesitating.

“I’m not Red but I failed my sister and I won’t again...so just watch my back ok,” Wynonna told Nicole with a tear in her eye and a determined look. Wynonna shot off again, she made her way around the wall, always pausing to take cover in case of being seen. Wynonna managed to weave her way around surprisingly quickly. Nicole watched from behind the flour bags, looking out for any interruptions. She held a breath as she watched the brunette take the last couple of steps to the door. Wynonna stopped as she got to the door and turned around to look at her environment; once she was sure that no one was near them she looked in Nicole’s direction and gave a thumbs up. She turned back to the door and tentatively placed a hand on the door handle and in one swift motion she pushed on the handle which easily went down. Wynonna looked back over her shoulder and proceeded to open the door so that it was ajar.

A whistling shot through the air and Wynonna went rigid and fell to the floor on her back. Nicole eyes widen and she lowered herself more, enough not to be seen but enough that she could still see Wynonna. Her heart began to race, not sure of what to do, her eyes darted around when she saw multiple men move out from the shadows and all carrying guns pointed right at Wynonna. She knew something wasn’t right and now Wynonna was hurt and she had no way of contacting Doc for help, she was alone. Then Wynonna’s voice travelled through her mind.

“Less thinking...and more doing,”

Nicole’s eye’s turned white; a rage ran through her veins. She was meant to watch Wynonna’s back and nothing was going to change that. Nicole shot up from behind the flour stacks and stepped out. The men with the guns hadn’t noticed her appearance, so already she had the advantaged. Nicole’s hands shot out from either side of her and the sky turned black. The men looked up at the sudden change in weather, not sure how the daylight had disappeared. Nicole began to rise up into the sky; rocks pulled themselves up from the soil and circled around the Redhead like she was gravity. The rocks formed a shield, protecting her. Nicole began to whisper, asking for help from an invisible force. Lightning developed in the sky above her, she lifted her arm ready to take aim on the men who had now ignored Wynonna and pointed their guns up at her. 

Suddenly her eye’s returned to normal. Nicole dropped to the ground with speed and the soil and rocks followed covering her. Nicole’s back was littered with tranquiliser darts, the Redhead had been struck from behind, she had forgotten about her blindspot. She lifted her weakened head and looked up, her vision was beginning to blur. All she remembered was being hit with a force and then she was back on the floor. Now she was surrounded with multiple guns pointed right at her face. The crowd broke open and one of the men stepped forward and crouched down in front of the half-conscious Nicole.

“Now we’ve got you,” The blurry man snarled as he struck Nicole in the head with the butt of his gun, knocking her unconscious.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, been struggling mentally lately so I hope this makes up for the lack of chapters.

The ringing in her ears was deafening, it was like lying right next to train tracks as the brakes were on. Nicole’s whole body ached, areas of her body she didn’t know existed hurt, she tried to open her eyes but there was just black. Her eye’s had been covered and she was laying on her front with her arms tied behind her back. There was silence all around her except for the sound of banging. It rang through her ears, the most unwelcomed sound. Nicole led down just listening, taking deep breaths and she tried to feel her energy come back. She thought back to what happened, she thought she would be safe but Waverly was right when it came to not going into this alone. Thinking that Wynonna being by her side would make things better but it was a foolish idea, they were so worried about getting Bobo and finding Waverly that they ignored any uneasy feeling that she had inside.

The banging in the distance increased in speed and sound, every bang made Nicole shiver. She could feel her hands were tied with metal handcuffs and removing them would be so easy but until she could see where she was or who may or may not be around her, she just had to be patient and pray she wouldn’t be killed before she could execute her escape and find Wynonna. If she was alive then the chances were that Wynonna would be too.

Footsteps slowly came up behind Nicole making the floor tremble beneath her, she made sure not to move her body, Nicole played dead not wanting whoever was with her to know she was conscious. She felt a sense of someone stood over her, all that could be heard was the low breath of another human. A pair of hands grabbed Nicole by the handcuffs and began to drag the Red head’s body, not caring if it was comfortable or not. Nicole thought her arm was going to come right out of its socket; she was being dragged in a way that defied biology. She was dragged for a couple of minutes, her arms held above her head and tops of her feet pulled along the gravel floor. Wherever she was being taken it was brighter than where she had been, the light was doing its best to peek through her blindfold, she could just about make out the scene of a hallway but the blackness of the blindfold blurred her eyesight. Her body jolted as whoever was dragging her suddenly stopped, sending a sharp pain through her shoulder causing her to cry out. Now it was obvious she was no longer unconscious. Nicole just heard a low evil chuckle and then the click of a door, with a sharper tug Nicole was being dragged again but after a few feet forward she was pushed to the ground. With her knee’s landing with a thud on the floor, the rest of Nicole’s body fell forward. Laughter followed and then hands pulled her up so she just kneeled on the floor and her blindfold was removed. Everything was blurry for a moment as her sight slowly returned, squinting at the light she looked around her to assess where she was. She was in a very large hall type room with two doors, one on either side of the room and a stage in the middle of the room just in front of her. Two men stood on the stage, one was a small man off to the side wearing a white lab coat and the other stood in the centre with a vindictive smile on his face. He was wearing what Nicole could only assume was a woman’s fur coat, with a pair of black leather trousers and old worn army boots. Around them were a couple of chairs and metal tables covered in equipment that was foreign to the Redhead. Looking around there had to be about 7 guards all carrying weapons and to the left of her was a badly beaten Wynonna, tied and positioned in the same way. Nicole’s eyes widen at the sight of the brunette who had obviously put up some kind of fight.

“Psst...Wynonna,” Nicole whispered to the brunette, hoping not to be heard by whoever was on the stage. A weary Wynonna frowning at the noise turned to look at Nicole.

“Oh good...you’re not dead...,” Wynonna whispered back sarcastically as she moved uncomfortably in the bindings that looked different to what Nicole had been placed in.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here...,” A determined Nicole told the weakened woman.

“Good luck...we’re surrounded or didn’t you notice?” Wynonna rolled her eyes. “Plus we came to get Bobo...now we got him...,” Wynonna continued to stare up at the large man on the stage in contempt.

With a frown, Nicole followed Wynonna’s eye line straight to Bobo. She had never asked what he looked like, she had never even taken a second to imagine it either but the man in front of her looked terrifying. Bobo noticed the two women watching him, so he walked to the edge of the stage, looming over them with a sneer on his face.

This was the moment Nicole had been waiting for, Bobo thought they were trapped but he made a mistake giving Nicole metal handcuffs. The Redhead looked Bobo dead in the eye as she loosened the handcuffs with her mind. Bobo opened his mouth to speak when a whoosh went through the air, the handcuffs had opened and morphed into a knife, it flew past Bobo’s head as Nicole jumped to her feet, ready to help Wynonna escape. The knife hit one of the guards in the throat before extracting itself and going straight for the back of Bobo’s head. With a smirk, Nicole leant down to untie Wynonna knowing where she had sent the knife but the sound of the metal soaring disappeared. The room went silent, too silent, Nicole tried to sense the knife but it was like it just disappeared. She turned around to see a smug Bobo stood with a grey textured box in his hand that had a slight shake to it.

“I caught your little knife,” Bobo sneered rattling the box in Nicole’s direction. Nicole’s face dropped, she didn’t understand how he could’ve stopped it. “I knew you’d use your powers, just needed proof they were real...I’m good at catching things,” Bobo winked and placed the box down beside him.

He jumped down from the stage and casually walked over to Nicole who was now stood straight showing no fear when inside she was going crazy. Bobo stopped in front of Nicole and tilted his head as though trying to figure the woman out and without effort, he backhanded Nicole across the room. She landed on her back with a searing pain in her face, she had not expected what had come, and no one had ever resisted her abilities before. So quickly without hesitation, she jumped up off the floor, anger raging through her, needing a new plan her eyes clouded over white.

“What are you going to do girly, everything in this room is synthetic...made just for you,” Bobo laughed with his arms extended presenting his creations to the Redhead.

“Too bad you didn’t make synthetic air!” Nicole shouted, almost in a trance.

Bobo frowned as the wind picked up in the room. There were no windows but Nicole pulled all air towards her, a mini-tornado surrounding her as the oxygen slowly disappeared from the room. Bobo and his guards clutched at their throats as breathing became an issue, the large man fell to his knees, the colour had drained from his face and bloodshot eyes appeared. Nicole smiled knowing she had outwitted the man but then looking down at Bobo, Nicole noticed the body in front of him, and Wynonna had collapsed. She had forgotten that she would affect everyone in the room. She looked from Wynonna to Bobo, this was their only chance to stop him and save Waverly but if Wynonna died it would destroy the younger sister and the guilt would ruin Nicole. Defeated Nicole stopped her actions, the tornado disappeared and oxygen returned to the room. Everybody coughed and spluttered as their lungs refilled with its lifeline. Nicole ran over to Wynonna helping the woman up, Wynonna coughed as she climbed back to her knees with her hands still bound together. Forgetting about the room a crushing hand grabbed Nicole’s throat, lifting her into the air.

“It’s not fun struggling to breath is it?” Bobo asked rhetorically as he tightened his grip on the Redhead. Nicole grabbed at the hand clutching her throat, doing her best to try and pull the hand off her at no avail, she was too weak. Bobo smiled as he watched the coloured slowly drained from her face and just when she looked like she was about to pass out Bobo opened his hand and dropped Nicole to the floor. Bobo turned away and walked back to the stage leaving Nicole to try and get her breath back as she massaged her own sore neck. Wynnona shuffled her body over to the Redhead, concerned for the woman.

“Now sit still! We still need to talk and I won’t deal with that shit again!” Bobo growled as he turned to face them again.

“Is this all because we broke in? This is overkill even for you!” Wynonna spoke up, a bit of her fire returning. Nicole sat back now having control over her breathing. Bobo laughed at the question, even his guards joined in with the laughter.

“You really think you broke in?” An amused Bobo asked.

“He knew we were coming...I said it was too easy...,” Nicole whispered to Wynonna who looked shocked. Bobo pointed to his nose and to Nicole.

“You hit it on the nail there, like some drunken farmer and amateur super-being could break into this place, I know when you shit before you do!” Bobo chuckled. He walked to an empty chair and pulled it forward. He sat down facing the two women as he crossed his legs.

“So what do you want with us?” Nicole asked, almost afraid to do so, she was so weak and couldn’t handle another beating.

“Oh no no no, I just wanted you...having another Earp here is just a bonus,” Bobo told them, Nicole frowned confused. “I’ve been looking for you for a while; you see I don’t take well to my things being stolen from me,”

“Waverly is not yours...I didn’t steal her!” Nicole snapped, hating Waverly being spoken about like she was an object. Bobo laughed again causing Nicole clench at her fists.

“I’m not talking about your little girlfriend...but I think she should be here for this, let’s have a little reunion shall we?” Bobo stated almost excitedly, he lifted a hand into the air and clicked his fingers. A moment later the door at the back of the room behind Bobo opened and a guard entered with Waverly in a wheelchair. She was hunched over but as soon as she hit the light she slowly lifted her head. Her eyes squinted at the light, she looked so weak and frail, and she looked around confused until she caught sight of Nicole and Wynonna on the ground. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, too weak to form words.

“Babygirl!” Wynonna screamed out as Nicole looked on in shock. Waverly looked like a shell compared to the last time they had been together. “What did you do to her??” Wynonna screamed at Bobo as anger took over at the sight of her little sister.

The guard rolled the wheelchair up a slope at the back of the stage, placing the weakened Waverly in the centre of the stage. Bobo watched on as he turned back to his prisoners.

“I have brought no harm to your sister...if she refuses food that’s her fault,” Bobo stated, bored with the questions. “Now where was I?”

“Apparently I stole from you...even though I’ve never met you or been here before...,” Nicole replied now ballsier as she was filled with anger as she just concentrated on Waverly.

“True you have never been here...but you have been to one of my old factories...pretty sure that’s where you received your ‘powers’ or do you not remember?” Bobo told the Redhead who was scrunching her face as she thought back to that day of her accident.

“I didn’t steal anything...,” Nicole trailed off confused looking back to Bobo as she continued to search her mind.

“LIES!” Bobo shouted abruptly making the women in front of him jump. “You took my chemicals! You gained powers without my permission! I know everything and every one and you entered my facility and used those dud chemicals for your own benefit!” Bobo growled at Nicole as he leant forward in his chair.

“I...I ...no, there was an accident, I didn’t even know that stuff was in there,” Nicole stuttered, more confused than ever.

“So you didn’t wake up covered in anything? Because I know you did,”

“I didn’t know what that stuff was...I wasn’t even conscious!” Nicole snapped, more annoyed by the accusations. Bobo started to laugh again; he was psychotic in all of the women’s eyes. Waverly was now watching intently, the conversation between Nicole and Bobo seemed to give her a bit more energy that she didn’t know that she had.

“Leave her alone...,” A small voice came from behind Bobo made his laughter stop. He turned to face the woman in the wheelchair.

“Shut your mouth! If you had done your job in the first place I wouldn’t have to step in,” Bobo snapped at Waverly and turned back around, his face calm again.

“Babygirl...what’s he talking about?” Wynonna addressed her sister who refused to look in her direction. A smile appeared on Bobo’s face, he looked back around at Waverly and then back to Wynonna.

“Oh yeah...they don’t know do they?” Bobo said.

“What don’t we know?” Nicole now asked looking back and forth from Bobo and Waverly, confused and scared by the question. Bobo looked back round at Waverly.

“Would you like to tell them or shall I?” Bobo asked Waverly who had now lowered her head to look down at her lap in guilt. She couldn’t stop the truth from coming out and was too much of a coward to explain it. Bobo stood from his seat and sat on the edge of the stage so he was closer to Nicole and Wynonna who tried to shuffle backwards but failed.

“You see, Waverly work’s for me...,” Bobo started.

“We know that, how you wanted to use her body,” Nicole spat in disgust. Bobo just looked up at the guard who was stood behind the Redhead. He hit her in the back of the head, throwing her forward to the floor. Her face broke her fall and her nose, everything stopped for a moment as Nicole re-adjusted her face. She refused to look weak in front of Bobo, so turning her sore face; she planted her hands on the floor and lifted herself back up into a seated position. Blood streamed down her face but she kept her head held high.

“Next time you interrupt me, one of you will die,” Bobo told the two women, his face stoic and serious. He looked over the two women, waiting to see if they would risk responding but he was just met with silence.

“So Waverly worked for me but not in the way she told you, which is quite clever, no one would dream of questioning that. I really did teach her well. You see Waverly’s one of my top workers, she started young, she would just distract any enemies we had because no one is scared of a child but then when she was about 12 we sent her out as bait. She had one simple job, bring the mark to me, and plead to be a lost child needing help to find her way home but it didn’t work out. You see in a world of zombies, humans have less sense than before, so rather than help her they took her back to their base. Now two days passed after this, we hadn’t heard from her and I didn’t know if she had run away or was dead but there was a banging on our gate. It was Waverly...covered in blood. She had walked to us all night covered in blood, she had killed our mark for us. It was genius...I don’t know why I hadn’t thought it before...child assassins and I tell you with a bit of training, she was good,” Bobo hopped off the stage and began to walk around the two women, neither could believe what they were being told as they avoided Bobo’s gaze and concentrated on Waverly who still wouldn’t look up.

“So we built on what happened, she would still be bait but if things went south then young Waverly would do the dirty work for me and over the years she got better. So when I heard about what happened at my factory, well I did some digging. After talking and torturing a lot of people I found out about the flying Redhead who apparently was located in this area. Now I didn’t know if you were real or just a myth so rather than risk getting killed I sent Waverly, who happily agreed, by the way, she said she always loved a challenge...isn’t that right my angel?” Bobo called to Waverly who slightly tilted her head to look at Bobo, her eye’s now red, too ashamed to do anything else as all she could do was continue to listen along with Wynonna and Nicole.

“Now her job was simple, fake an accident, get saved and find out if you really did have powers. Then she was to meet us at the disclosed location to tell us what she knows and then she would convince you to take her home...now that didn’t happen. Imagine my displeasure when I find out that she was shacked up with you and helping you run. My best assassin turned on me and with the person who ruined everything!” Bobo snapped he stopped his movements to close his eyes and take a breath.

He calmed himself down and climbed back on to the stage, he went over to Waverly and pushed her wheelchair closer to the edge of the stage. Tears were streaming down the young brunette’s face, she had tried so hard to keep her past a secret, so she would never have to witness the look of disappointment in the two people she loved eye’s.

“I’m so sorry...I didn’t want you to find out like this,” Waverly pleaded with the women. Nicole just looked at the ground, her heart was breaking, everything she thought about Waverly was a lie but Wynonna kept eye contact, tears building in her eyes.

“More like you never wanted us to know,” Wynonna stated as Waverly began to shake her head, searching for the right words to say. “I knew something was up the moment I saw you...you lied to both of us!” Wynonna snapped, her voice shaking through the anger.

“I thought if you knew, then you wouldn’t want me near you...either of you,” Waverly said through sobs.

“Well, I guess we’ll never know now but you not telling us has put us in even more danger,” Wynonna shook her head and turned away from the stage.

“Nicole? Please say something...,” Waverly begged as everything began to fall apart. Nicole looked up from the floor, tears streamed down her face mixing with the blood that was still pouring from her broken nose.

“...I was just a job?” Nicole managed to croak out, barely able to look at the woman that she thought she loved. Waverly stared at Nicole, their eyes locked. Both women looked at each other broken, there was so much Waverly could say but it wouldn’t make a dent in all the lies that she had been telling. Instead, Bobo began to clap.

“Well done my angel, you really cocked everything up haven’t you,” Bobo interrupted making all the women look to him. He ignored the evil looks he was receiving.

“So now that little confession is out of the way and I have the full attention we can get back to you,” Bobo stated as he changed the topic completely. The air turned to confusion again. “You see stealing my chemicals wasn’t your only offence, you killed my zombies...,”

Not wanting to speak in case of a thrashing again but Nicole couldn’t help but ask.   
“_Your_ zombies?”

“Yeah...those chemicals you took were my duds...one of many concoctions made to create the virus,” Nicole and Wynonna mouths dropped in shock.

“Did you know about this too?!” Wynonna snapped now addressing Waverly. Waverly just shook her head timidly.

“How could she? She was a child when I created it, you see I needed a way to keep control, your daddy and his sheriff buddies wouldn’t stop sniffing around me for years and I was done, this place needed a fresh start with someone who knew how to run it,” Bobo casually explained.

“So those zombies you trapped that killed my family were your zombies?” Wynonna asked Bobo as the mass amount of information took over her mind, filling her body with rage and hatred.

“Pretty much until this one ruined it, you took away my retirement plan...I had control of this entire world and you took it away,” Bobo growled at Nicole.

“It’s not your world to take...I’m glad I destroyed them!” Nicole snapped now too numb to care what would happen. Everything she thought she knew had been taken away from her; at that point she welcomed death.

“I’m sure but it’s not all bad because I have a new plan and it’s actually thanks to you, see I keep copies of every experiment I have ever done and after your accident, I brought those empty barrels back here...to see if I could get powers like you. Who needs zombies when you could be powerful in your own right?” Bobo explained from the stage.

“So you’re just going to cover yourself in chemicals now?” Nicole asked confused, no longer sure of where this conversation was heading. She just knew that once the conversation stopped they would all be dead and she only had one way out and it was in that box. Maybe if she could keep Bobo talking long enough she could find a way to open the box.

“Well that would be stupid, I could die. And I’ve already used the chemical but not before testing it, couldn’t risk myself first,” Bobo sneered. “So thank god my angel came home to help me with this task,” Bobo gestured to a defeated Waverly who had now caught on to what Nicole was looking at.

“You said you didn’t hurt her,” Wynonna snapped. Bobo lifted a dramatic hand to his chest.

“And I didn’t, it was simple injection and she’s still alive. No powers but it proved that I could test it and not die,” Bobo took a step forward in front of Waverly and took his coat off dropping it to the floor. “I was also more fortunate, I guess you have to be a certain type of person who receives gifts and so with a few tweeks to the solution...presto,”

Bobo’s eyes clouded over black, he stood tall as all of his muscles in his body began to bulge to double their size, with vein’s bursting through the skin. He grew a couple of feet taller and his voice turned demonic.

  
“Now no one can defeat me!” Bobo’s voice boomed across the room. Nicole and Wynonna scrambled backwards in fear. Nicole kept staring at the box, the only thing that would stop their deaths.

“You can keep moving but you have nowhere to go!” Bobo laughed as he went to take a step off the stage when a clank of the wheelchair took his attention away.

Waverly took the last of energy that she had and threw herself at the unmanned box. The box hit the floor making the lid fly open. Before Nicole could react, Bobo already had the knife in his hand and the back of Waverly’s neck in his other hand, dangling her off the ground like she was a doll.

“You can’t stare at a box for the last 5 minutes and not expect me to notice!” Bobo boomed as Waverly shook in his hand.

“Waverly!” Nicole screamed as she climbed to her feet and dragging Wynonna with her.

“Time to make a choice, you can either take the knife or let her die...you choose,” Bobo told Nicole as he waved the knife in front of him.

“Nicole, I’m so sorr-,” Waverly stopped, her breath hilted in shock as Bobo launched the knife through her stomach.

“Nooooooo!” Both Nicole and Wynonna screamed in unison as Waverly was dropped to the floor in what seemed like slow motion. The young brunette landed on her back with her hand hovering around the knife.

“So what will it be...take the knife and let her die or leave it in and hope for the best?” Bobo growled as he stepped over Waverly as she began to slowly bleed out on the stage.

Wynonna and Nicole just looked at each other and then back to Bobo. They were well and truly fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter - @Nerdzilla91 - Feel free to message, I always welcome conversation.


	17. Chapter 17

Both Nicole and Wynonna had been backed into a corner; all of Bobo’s men were closing in on them as they backed up against a wall with Bobo following slowly from behind. The two women were trapped with no escape and all they could do was wait until they were killed along with Waverly. The six men sneered at the women as they got closer; holding their array of synthetic bats and guns.

Internally Nicole couldn’t help but panic, she had only been in this kind of situation in her imagination and even then she usually had really cool skills or powers but now she had nothing. The only thing that could help was wedged in the stomach of the woman she loved. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Bobo who seemed to be toying with them as he stopped his movements to watch his men close in on them. They were so unprepared for everything, as they crept back they literally hit a wall. The two women looked at each other with eyes filled with a secret fear that neither would admit out loud.

“Red! I need you to get me out of this!” Wynonna hissed at Nicole, too scared to take her eyes off the impending doom.

“I...I can’t save us,” Nicole breathed, the panic beginning to take over. Wynonna took a deep breath, knowing she needed to take the lead in this.

“Then just settle for getting this damn thing off my wrists,” Wynonna snapped back as she slightly gestured the arms tied behind her back towards Nicole. Nicole looked down at the ropes binding Wynonna; they looked like strange plastic/corded rope. They were knotted too tight for her to divert her attention away.

“Ok I’m going to do something but it’s gonna hurt...,” Nicole whispered back not quite prepared for her next decision.

“Can’t hurt more than what they’re gonna do,” Wynonna nodded to the men who had now stopped in a half-circle around the women.

Nicole slid her left hand down so it was hidden behind Wynonna; she grasped the rope bound to the wrist and concentrated. There wasn’t much fuel left in her but she had to make this work and hope that it did. Her hand slowly heated up and engulfed itself in small blue flames, the flames began to melt through the synthetic material and melt Wynonna’s soft skin along with it. As the heat built against the brunette all she could do was keep her lips firmly shut and take the pain that she was being subjected to as burning tears built up in her eyes that she wouldn’t allow to fall. She could smell her own flesh burning, stinging ran up and down her arms making her feel sick but she couldn’t show weakness. Soon the rope melted away until it was just hanging in Nicole’s hand. Wynonna dropped her freshly burnt arms down by her sides, her eyes slightly blurring with the pressure of all the pain coursing through.

Guilt soared through Nicole’s body, she knew it needed to be done but she wasn’t one for hurting anyone, she would always avoid it at all costs. The four men holding guns in their hands had them pointed and were ready to fire. Nicole closed her eyes ready for impact when she felt Wynonna nudge Nicole with her elbow. Nicole turned her head to see a strange smirk spread across Wynonna’s face.

“I needed my hands free so I could get this out of my underwear,” Wynonna whispered looking back and forth frantically from the guns to Nicole. Nicole just frowned, confused at the comment and then looked down at Wynonna’s clenched fist. The brunette opened her hand just enough so Nicole could see inside; there was soil in the woman’s hand. “There’s more in my underwear, thought we might need it just in case...and yes it’s got into places,”

Nicole broke out in a smile; she suddenly didn’t feel so helpless. She had never even thought to come prepared under her own misjudgement that nature was everywhere. Wynonna never seemed to take a massive interest in the logistics of how her powers worked but she was obviously more observant that Nicole had believed.

All of Bobo’s men watched the silent exchange between the two women; they became confused as to why they were suddenly so happy. Not wanting to find out, the men lifted their guns high and waited for their orders to fire on the women.

“I’m gonna count to three and I’m gonna need you to keep your legs straight...ok?” Nicole whispered as she began to concentrate her mind on sensing where the soil was inside of Wynonna’s clothes. She then instructed the soil from Wynonna’s fist to pour on to the floor and get ready for her countdown. Wynonna looked at Nicole confused but quickly stood up straight without asking questions.

“Three!”

The soil that had previously been in Wynonna’s fist lifted from the ground and shot into all of the men’s eyes even Bobo’s. Then before anyone could react Wynonna was being lifted from the floor and turned so she was horizontal.

“Holy shit Haught! I said to use the dirt!” Wynonna shouted as her body flew at the men in front of her quickly.

“I am!” Nicole shouted back.

She instructed the dirt to lift Wynonna and spin her horizontally at an increased speed. Just like a rotary blade, the brunette spun and kept her eyes tightly shut to avoid any chance of wanting to throw up. As she reached the men who were now rubbing the dirt out of their eyes, her feet came in to contact with their faces almost in succession. As she spun she grabbed one of the men with her hands and flung him at the wall, knocking him unconscious. Once all the men had been knocked down and thrown out of the way, her body slowed down. Nicole rushed over as Wynonna returned to her original position of being stood with her feet on the floor. Bobo continued to watch the women, amused by what was happening.

Wynonna clutched at her head, willing the dizziness to stop before she passed out or threw up. Nicole placed a hand on Wynonna’s shoulder comfortingly but instantly she felt the top of her shirt being gripped and was pulled towards the brunette.

“You do that again and I swear to god...,” Wynonna growled through waves of nausea before removing her hand from Nicole. Nicole raised her eyebrows, she didn’t care how much power she had, Wynonna Earp still managed to scare the crap out of her. “....ok, I’m gonna take these numbskulls, think you can handle hulk over there?” Wynonna breathed as she steadied herself.

“Hulk?” Nicole questioned, again not getting the reference.

“Jesus (Wynonna shook her head in dismay) Bobo!” Wynonna snapped as she eyeballed the men slowly trying to gather themselves off the floor after that tidal wave that was Wynonna.

“I guess...but I don’t think soil’s going to get the job done...,” Nicole trailed off as her and Bobo’s eye locked on, they both knew what was coming and Bobo was ready for it. He had intentionally positioned himself in front of Waverly’s body in an attempt to put the Redhead off. A hand weighed down on Nicole’s shoulder.

“Do what you need to Red,” Wynonna said as she looked towards Waverly’s body hopelessly.

“But...,” Was all Nicole could muster, a lump formed in her throat.

“Needs must and now it’s about survival...,” Wynonna turned away unable to say anything else. She didn’t want her sister to die after just finding her but they were fighting for their lives now. So Wynonna went straight for the man that she threw at the wall and grabbed the bat that he had dropped. She took one last look at Nicole and ran towards the rest of the guards who were closing in on her again with fire in her heart and a scream that could tear through a person.

Bobo grinned at Nicole, he didn’t move, there was just space between them. He tilted his hand as though working the woman out.

“You know I was going to kill you but with skills like that, perhaps you should work for me?” Bobo positioned, actually impressed by what he had just seen.

“I would never work for you!” Nicole spat as tears streamed down her face, not even realising she was crying.

“Even if it meant her living?” Bobo asked as he nodded his head back towards Waverly.

“No...She had tried to get away from you, no matter what she did, I’d rather us all die than be cursed to work for you,” Nicole said with finality.

“That’s too bad; we could be so powerful together. We could rule the world,” Bobo said trying to entice the Redhead.

“Power doesn’t interest me, besides why rule the world when I can take out bad guys?” Nicole told Bobo, her eyes clouding over again. Bobo’s face dropped, his anger no longer hidden.

Nicole began to lift herself off the floor again, she had no idea where all this energy was coming from but she certainly wasn’t going to question it. She needed to stop Bobo and get to Waverly before it was too late. She extended her arms, calling for the wind but she didn’t get further than that. A furious and bulging Bobo charged at Nicole, hitting straight into her. The wind was knocked out of her lungs ironically as her body flew at the wall making the wall crack behind her. Her body slipped down and hit the floor sharply. Before she could move Bobo was on top of her with his mutated hand around her throat once again, only this time he used her as a hockey puck and slid her across the floor and knocked her into the side of the stage.

Nicole’s insides vibrated like all her organs had been knocked out of place. She led on her back as she clutched at her stomach and looked around, Wynonna was surrounded by three men that she was swinging her weapon at, using everything she had. She looked ahead of her to see a cocky looking Bobo slowly strut towards her when her eye’s caught sight of the crack in the wall behind him. If she could get Bobo to knock that a couple more times then she could have more chance of beating him, she needed to get out of the synthetic room before it was too late. So pushing the pain aside, she pushed herself up so she was stood facing Bobo on shaky feet. She clenched her fists ready for whatever was coming.

Seeing her stance, Bobo changed tactics and charged at Nicole who swiftly slipped through his huge legs and straight for the wall. Anger filled Bobo, not appreciating being toyed with. He turned his huge body and charged after her. She turned as she reached the wall, bracing herself for impact again. The impact didn’t come though; Bobo halted his steps right in front of the Redhead. He lowered his head and moved closer to Nicole’s face.

“What are you planning bitch?” Bobo breathed into Nicole’s face, the heat of his breath spreading over her, the feeling of sickness building up inside of her. Then it struck her, what she needed to do.

Nicole moved her face closer towards Bobo, so their noses were barely touching.

“You work it out,” Nicole whispered as she sucked in a deep breath and blew it over Bobo furious looking face.

Bobo scrunched his eyebrows as he tried to understand what Nicole was talking about until he felt her breath. At first, nothing happened until heat spread across him. The heat quickly got hotter, his skin began to bubble. The searing pain was too much for the large man to take; he lurched back as he howled out in angry and then threw himself forward towards Nicole. Seeing that his sight had been compromised, Nicole rollout of the way as Bobo swung his large fist around. His fist made contact with the large crack in the wall that Nicole’s body had previously created. He couldn’t see Nicole but he needed revenge.

As Bobo struck the wall in anger, Nicole made her way over to Wynonna who was now left with two men out of the six there originally was. Running up behind the last guard with a gun, she tackled straight into the man’s side, knocking him down to the ground. Wynonna slammed her weapon into the other man she was fighting as the pressure was taken off of her for a second. Wynonna ran to Nicole and kicked the man Nicole had just tackled as she passed him. Wynonna caught sight of Bobo as she stood beside Nicole.

“So my guys are basically dead...what about yours?” Wynonna asked as she gestured to the giant going crazy against the wall.

“I burnt his face, it seems to infuriate him enough...we need to get through that wall if we stand any chance,” Nicole told her through haggard breaths.

“The guards are down and juggernaut is distracted...can’t we just go through a door?” Wynonna asked confused. Nicole shook her head in response.

“No, if this whole room is synthetic then so are the doors and they’re probably locked...,” Nicole stopped her explanation at the sound of sudden silence and a terrified look on Wynonna’s faces as a shadow slowly crept across her face.

Nicole swallowed hard and slowly turned around; she came face to face with Bobo’s torso. Her eyes followed the body upwards to Bobo’s face. His Red and blistered face looked furious. The back of his hand struck Nicole hard in the face, sending her across the room. Bobo then turned and struck Wynonna. She hit the wall and slammed to the floor, the brunette tried to move but the impact was too much for her body, she could only lay there unable to help.

Adrenaline struck Nicole and she quickly jumped up from the floor, she wasn’t sure how much longer her body could hold out against Bobo. He was so powerful and she was so limited as to what she could do. She looked to Wynonna to see the woman struggling to get up from the floor, then to the crack in the wall which had got bigger but still needed one more hit. Bobo charged for her again, he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the wall.

Nicole struggled against the huge hand that was imprisoning her but she was helpless. Bobo was gleeful; he swung his free arm and slapped Nicole across the face. It was like getting hit in the face with a table, she was discombobulated for a moment until he struck her again. Her vision grew darker as her body began to give up. He pulled her away from the wall and swung her like a rag doll, never letting go. Nicole did her best to look around in all the movement and then she saw it. Her eyes managed to land on Waverly and the pool of blood that surrounded her and the knife sticking out of her stomach.

Her heart dropped and everything that Bobo was doing suddenly disappeared, she could only focus on Waverly and the decision she had to make. That woman she saved all those weeks ago, the woman she fell all heartedly in love with, the woman who became her home, the woman who betrayed her. She didn’t know what to think but Bobo had to be stopped and Wynonna had given her the permission that never wanted.

Coming back to reality with another slap to the face, Bobo pinned Nicole back against the wall. Her head dropped in exhaustion, it was almost over, and she could feel it. Bobo pulled his free arm backwards with a tight fist.

“Time to end this!” Bobo snarled. Nicole’s lips moved but no sound came out, Bobo's eye focused in on this. “I’m sorry? Last words?”

Nicole lifted her badly beaten face to look at Bobo; she swallowed some saliva back and cleared her throat.   
“I said...you’re right,” Nicole responded in defiance. Bobo’s eyes narrowed.

Nicole’s eyes clouded over in front of the confused man. With everything left inside of her and one lasting image of Waverly in her mind, Nicole called for the metal knife. It slid from Waverly’s stomach and flew through the air and before Bobo could respond the knife entered his stomach. He jolted at the impact, blood appearing in his mouth. Nicole and Bobo locked eyes for a moment before she told the metal to break apart and spread throughout the mutated man’s body.

Bobo lost his grip and Nicole dropped down, he stumbled backwards with a roar. Wynonna who had finally managed to get up had hurried over to her sister, giving Nicole a sad nod for the go-ahead to finish the job. Nicole acknowledged the woman who now cradled her younger sister in her arms and turned her attention back to Bobo. Using the metal inside of him she lifted the large man into the air. She pulled on all of his body parts causing him to scream out in agony. Any guilt had disappeared; she only had revenge in mind. Then looking upwards, she willed his body up and through the ceiling. He burst through the roof making outside materials fall in all around the large room, Bright light streamed through the hole in the ceiling and it basked over the Redhead. With her newly acquired connection with nature, she told the new natural materials to barricade the doors, she needed to know Wynonna and Waverly would be safe for the next couple of minutes. Then Nicole lifted her body into the air and followed after Bobo who was now floating in the sky thanks to Nicole’s instructions.

Nicole rose up into the sky until she was level with a now normal looking Bobo. His face had frozen into place and was slowly growing red. His panicked expression showed the real man in front of her.

“You have destroyed everything you have ever touched or come in to contact with. I can’t let it continue...this world deserves better than you,” Nicole told Bobo as a lone tear descended down her face.

Closing her clouded eyes, she gave the metal inside Bobo one more instruction. His arms and legs flailed outwards as it had done before but this time they didn’t stop stretching. Bobo’s screams carried across the forest. The metal tugged on his insides until there was nowhere else to go and his body ripped apart.

Nicole just stayed in the air for a moment, with her eyes still closed, and too scared to open them. She never wanted to kill a human but this would never going to end and she knew it. He knew how to create powers and that was something that shouldn’t be given out so easily. After a minute of unwillingness, Nicole carefully opened her eyes. In front of her was just the knife, after escaping Bobo’s body it had reformed itself. It was over; she reached a shaky hand out and took the weapon. She stared down at the weapon not knowing how to feel until it reminded her of Waverly. Terrified of what she might find, Nicole cautiously lowered herself down back through the hole in the roof facing the stage. She could hear the doors erupting around her as scores of men tried to get in but she simply ignored this as she walked to the stage.

Nicole climbed up on to the stage and took light steps toward the two sisters. Wynonna was covered in blood as she held her sister close and sent silent messages into her ear. Wynonna could feel the body stood over and looked up. Nicole was stood in front of her, her whole body was battered and her face seemed to match. Nicole’s body was ready to give out but she wouldn’t allow it.

“Is it over?” Wynonna asked quietly, the only words she could manage to get out. Nicole just nodded her head silently and crouched down on the opposite side of Waverly.

Without speaking, Wynonna handed her sister over to Nicole, knowing they needed to say goodbye. Nicole slid her arm underneath the young woman’s head, propping her up. Waverly’s eyes flickered open slightly, when she saw Nicole she tried to smile but was just too weak. Waverly lifted a bloodied finger to catch a teardrop from Nicole’s face.

“You...were never...just...a job,” Waverly breathed out before taking her last breath and giving into death.

Nicole’s whole body began to vibrate and bile built up in her throat. Everything stopped, her whole body went numb, and she could barely hear the broken sobs of Wynonna. Everything in that moment changed and she couldn’t cope. Heat rose up through her body as she led Waverly back down on to the floor and stood up. The vibrating sped up as the panic set in, her eyes changed to purple. Wynonna began to call Nicole’s name but it didn’t matter, Nicole didn’t want for anything anymore. So as the screams escaped her lips, the Redhead’s body rose up and exploded into thousands of tiny purple particles floating away into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter - @Nerdzilla91


	18. Chapter 18

Nicole opened her eyes to pure white; there was nothing around her as though everything she had ever known had just disappeared. She looked around and she appeared to be standing but she couldn’t feel the floor, yet her feet were moving. How could she be moving with no direction to go in though? Carefully stretching her arms out she swung her arms out, hoping to touch anything but there still nothing around her. The last thing she remembered was Waverly dying in her arms, the feeling that her own future had been dragged away from her without permission. A hole had developed inside of her; every feeling she had ever pushed down in her life had brought itself up to the surface. When Waverly died she remembered wanting to disappear but this was extreme even for her.

Nicole’s thoughts then returned to Wynonna, she had been left alone, trapped with a dead body and no one to comfort her. Nausea rose up in Nicole’s throat at the thought of her selfishness of leaving Wynonna alone to suffer. She needed to find a way out, she didn’t care if her head was dizzy or that she wanted to curl into a ball and just let herself go, again she had no choice but to have to return from whence she came.

All around her was white, it just stretched out more than her own mind could fathom and since her feet were moving she figure to go with it. Nicole started into a run, constantly looking around her, in hopes of finding a clue of where she was or how to get out. So she ran, she ran with all the energy that she possessed. She ran for what felt like hours yet her body never weakened, her legs didn’t burn from the constant work, her breathing never became ragged, not even a stitch developed. Had insanity already set in or was she just being punished? Was this because she couldn’t save everyone, was it because she tried to give herself a life without really preparing herself?

Finally fed up of running, Nicole willed her body to stop. She spun on the spot in any hopes of seeing something different but she definitely had her hopes too high. Maybe she had died and everything before was a dream, maybe she was killed in that warehouse and none of before had happened. It made more sense than one girl with no friends or family in the world developing superpowers. So many thoughts and feelings were running through her head, she gripped at the side of her head at the infinite memories streaming at once, what was real and what wasn’t? She was becoming desperate.

“Hello!” A frantic Nicole screamed out. “Anyone there?!?!” She stopped to listen but there was nothing.

Tears streamed down her face, was this all she was going to know? She began to pace back and forth shaking her head, she needed to find some sort of resolve but not even her powers could save her now. Nicole dropped to her knees, finally giving in and taking the resolve that she was meant to be here, the tears turned into a waterfall. She rocked back and forth as the pain inside finally released. She screamed into the unknown, her body couldn’t feel anything so she continued to scream until she was just led on the floor, her throat no longer able to let out a sound. There was nothing to focus on, not even wind. Her body began to shiver as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Are you finished?” A gruff voice came from behind Nicole.

Nicole stilled at the voice, confusion took over. Slowly she sat up and wiped the tears as she did. Cautiously she turned her body to see a gruff man with a thick moustache wearing a very colourful Hawaiian shirt. She furrowed her brows at the man, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, she must be hallucinating now.

“Nedley?” Nicole asked quietly, almost too scared to ask.

“Don’t act like you’ve never seen me before sport,” Nedley responded casually as he looked down at the young woman.

“Are you even real?” She asked, not wanting to get her hopes up.

“Yes...and no,” Nedley said nodding his head as he looked up as though thinking about his answer.

Nicole wiped her face and stood up from the nonexistent floor and took two cautious steps towards her old mentor.

“I thought you died?” Nicole asked still so confused. He looked as real as the last time she saw him.

“Oh, I did, that I can never forget,” Nedley gave a low chuckle as he remembered back to that day.

“Am I dead? Maybe it’s a dream...Did I take drugs? No, I never would...and how would he know he’s dead...,” Nicole babbled to herself with her own conversation.

“Nice to see nothing’s changed...no you’re not dead,” Nedley told the Redhead with a small smile. “Come and sit with me,” And before Nicole could respond to the strange statement, Nedley turned away and a small wooden bench had appeared.

Nedley sat on one end of the bench and waited for Nicole to join him. She just stayed where she stood and just looked on; she looked around her to see the same white space as before. She couldn’t understand what was happening or where she was, how did a bench appear? With nothing to lose, she took a deep breath and slowly released it before walking over and joining Nedley on the other end of the bench, leaving a space between them. Nedley stayed silent as he waited for the nervous girl to position her body. He looked her up and down before shifting his body so he was now facing her.

Nicole sat awkwardly not knowing how to present herself, she rested her arm on the armrest and crossed and uncrossed legs about three times before settling on uncrossed legs and finding a random strand of thread on the arm of her shirt to fiddle with. Feeling the eyes upon her, she slowly turned her head to see an amused Nedley just silently watching her. He was giving her the same look that he use to always do when she was in a new environment and could never settle herself, he use to always moan at her about it when she was a child but over the years he just stopped and instead just watched her with that same amused expression.

“It’s good to see you kid,” Nedley smiled with glossy eyes, never taking them off Nicole.

“How are you seeing me?” Nicole asked bluntly, not understanding anything that had happened since killing Bobo.

“You and patience were never friends were they? Always wanting to know everything first, always throwing yourself in headfirst. Remember when you were 12 and I was teaching you to use a bow and arrow? You couldn’t hit a target if your life depended on it and I told you to keep practising, instead, you waited until I fell asleep and went zombie hunting? If I remember rightly you managed to get yourself locked in the trunk of an abandoned car....,” Nedley chuckled.

“It ended fine though,” Nicole retorted.

“Oh yeah when I found you two hours later, you spent the whole time pretending you were trapped in a mine and didn’t even think to point the bow at me in case I was a zombie when I opened the truck...you’ve always gone in head first, like when we joined an enclave and you spent the first couple of days trying to discover all of their secrets rather than get to know them personally...,”

“Hey I’m glad I did that, they were hoarding supplies away from the whole camp, we didn’t need to be around selfish people like that!” Nicole defended herself as Nedley continued to laugh at the memory.

“I know I spent a lot of time trying to change you but you were always perfect the way you are and I’m glad you never lost that part of you...I’ve been impressed,” Nedley told her like a proud father.

“You’ve been watching me?” Nicole asked with narrowed eyebrows.

“Not all the time but I look in now and then, make sure you haven’t got into any trouble...not that it doesn’t take much for that to happen,” Nedley scooted a little closer but still leaving a gap between them. “I try not to get involved; you’re doing a good job by yourself,”

“Are you the reason I ended up at your house?” Nicole asked now more intrigued. Nedley shook his head with a smile.

“No that was all you...our souls have a connection, that’s what brought you to the house,” Nicole just nodded her head silently.

“I saw pictures of your family...are you back with them?”

“Yeah...and we are so happy but I couldn’t forget you...you’re like a daughter to me,” Nedley admitted as he reached a hand over and placed it on Nicole’s. Nicole looked down at the hand touching hers. She could feel it; it felt real, like it was just yesterday. She could feel his calluses lightly scratch her skin and that musty smell that he always had about him. Her heart pounded at the memories, it was a welcome friend she didn’t want to let go of. She looked up at Nedley’s proud and glossy eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

“Where are we?” Nicole asked as she reluctantly turned away from memory lane.

“This is the Aether,” Nedley told her with a shrug. Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked around her.

“Looks a bit bare don’t it?” Nicole responded not very impressed. Again Nedley chuckled; he had missed Nicole so much.

“This is just a meeting place, it doesn’t need anything else in it,” Nedley explained.

“Ok...So if I’m not dead and you are...how did we get here?” Nicole asked as nothing was becoming clear to her.

“That’s simple, you brought us here,” Nedley told the Redhead who just responded with a frown. “You possess the powers of the elements but what most people don’t know or believe is the fifth element...spirit,”

“I still don’t understand,” Nicole replied in disbelief.

“When Waverly died you tapped into a part of that element and you bridged the gap between the physical world and the spiritual, you needed solace and here I am,” Nedley explained.

Nicole shook her head in confusion and stood up from the bench, she turned to face Nedley who didn’t make a move to follow, rather just watch.   
“So why isn’t she here?” She asked.

“What I’m not good enough?” Nedley said with his hand on his chest teasing the girl. Nicole dropped her shoulders at the gesture and just glared at her mentor.

“You know what I mean,”

“Yeah I know kid...she can’t be here, there’s still rules and if you saw her now then you would never leave and your destiny is much more important than to give it up for death,” Nedley explained empathetically.

“What destiny? I live in the middle of an apocalypse and the only person that I have ever loved not only betrayed me but died...how the hell can there be more?!” Nicole snapped. She started to shake in anger; she hated the enigma of everything.

“I can’t tell you that kid, you need to find out for yourself but you will make a difference in the world and you can’t be here for that to happen,”

“So I just go back and what be betrayed and used again and just wait around all alone again, like before when you left? (Nicole began to cry) I have been cursed with this ability and I can’t take it anymore,” Nicole screamed out as the tears took over. Nedley stood from the bench and placed a comforting hand on Nicole’s shoulder.

“She didn’t use you,” Nedley said quietly.

“She killed people and was meant to kill me...I would call that betrayal,” Nicole growled through gritted teeth and tears.

“If she was meant to kill you why did she run away with you? Huh? And put yourself in her shoes, if you were found by Bobo instead of me maybe you would’ve done whatever you could for survival,” Nedley argued.

“No...I would never have killed!” Nicole snapped back.

“Wouldn’t you? She was a child and Bobo wasn’t a nice guy...you got lucky when I found you...how would you know what choices you would’ve made,” Nicole looked down guiltily. “That girl loved you, anyone could see it,”

Nicole looked back up at Nedley who had his more natural firm look again. “She’s gone now though so what does it matter?”

“It matters that you know you were loved and could potentially again. Being with Waverly brought Wynonna into your life, are you happy to leave her alone after losing her sister,” Nedley reasoned with the Redhead.

“She has Doc, she doesn’t need me around...,” Nicole shook her head sadly.

“And how would you know? I knew Wynonna before you did and that girl doesn’t show her feelings easily but I can see she appreciates you being around. You were the last connection to her sister that she has, ever thought you might need each other? Where is the positive Nicole I have always known?” Nedley asked making one ditch effort to try and point Nicole in the right direction.

“She died along with Waverly,” She admitted shaking her head.

“Well that’s too bad because one of the reasons you were chosen for those powers was because of your positivity...and your innocence, your sense of truth and need to connect with others, you were chosen to be a great force in the world,” Nedley told her like he was telling off his child.

“Why does everyone keep saying chosen, it was a goddamn accident and I got lucky!” Nicole snapped as her feelings and thoughts were no longer working together anymore.

“No Nicole...it was fate. You were meant to be in that warehouse and I was meant to die. The chemical could cause powers in certain humans but you were the only one with the heart and strength to wield the powers of the elements. There is no malicious or selfish bone in your body...you are perfectly balanced...just like Mother Nature,” Nedley lifted a hand to wipe a fresh tear that fell from Nicole’s eye. “The moment that chemical hit your body everything changed; nature heard your silent call for help and came to your rescue, it could feel your need to just want to help others...and that power is needed now and for the future,”

Nicole frowned at the last statement as Nedley wrapped an arm around the taller woman’s shoulders. He waved a hand out in front of them and a circle appeared with an image in it. The circle moved like a natural puddle and Nicole moved her head forward and squinted. She could see Wynonna on the stage floor, cradling Waverly again, rocking them back and forth as she sobbed all by herself. A sound came through the circle, loud banging that echoed out.

“What’s that noise?” Nicole looked to Nedley who had now stepped away to give her some space to look.

“That would be the doors the guards about to get through and most likely kill Wynonna...in your grief you left her alone to fend for herself and if she dies then Doc will surely be alone...did you want that?” Nedley asked tentatively. Nicole just shook her head through sobs. “Maybe you want to go and help them instead of hanging out with a dead guy?” Nedley said with a small chuckle.

“Even if I did, how am I supposed to go on and cope...I don’t think I’m strong enough...I don’t even know how I got here let alone go back,” Nicole admitted.

“You are a lot stronger than you care to believe, trust yourself and you will learn so much more about yourself and your abilities and I will always be watching over you and so will Waverly...trust me and trust in yourself,” Nedley told her firmly. Nicole looked down and back to Nedley, almost torn.

“I’ll miss you so much!” Nicole managed to get out. Nedley gave a side smile and stepped closer to the Redhead.

“I’ll miss you too but if you ever get desperate...you’ll know where to find me, you just need to believe in yourself more,” Nedley told her with a proud look on his face. Nedley pulled Nicole into a crushing hug and gripped her tightly. Nicole returned the hug as she smelt him again trying to capture that memory again and sobbed into the crook of his neck, not wanting to let go. After a moment of just holding each other Nedley lifted his head and whispered something into Nicole’s ear. The Redhead lifted her head with wide eyes to look at Nedley shocked.

“Trust me kid...just try it out,” And with his signature smile looking on at the shocked Nicole, he pulled away leaving one hand on her back and briskly pushed Nicole down into the circle image of Wynonna before the Redhead could even respond.

Nedley stood back and watched Nicole disappear and the circle closed behind her. His eyes glossed over as he gave a silent goodbye in his mind.

“Don’t you be a stranger kid,” Nedley said out loud as he turned away and faded into the whiteness of the Aether.

***

Wynonna had been cradling her dead sister from the moment that Nicole disappeared in front of her. She had just literally exploded and disappeared leaving the brunette all alone. A few minutes had passed but it seemed more like hours. She felt so abandoned in that moment and with no one to turn to. All she could do was hold the lost sister that she had only managed to find temporarily.

The banging of the barricaded doors continued to persist, they grew loud as Bobo’s men did their best to get inside and find out what happened to their leader but Wynonna didn’t care, now she was alone she welcomed them. If she could bear to put her cold and lifeless sister down then she would let them in willingly but she wouldn’t budge. She was going to stay there until her last breath. She thought to Doc who was out in the forest waiting for them to return, he had no knowledge of what was happening. Or he was found and killed but she couldn’t know, not for sure, that didn’t matter to her anymore. From the moment she lost Waverly as a child she had fought to stay alive in hopes of finding her and that she did and now she didn’t need to fight anymore. She could finally rest without anyone there to tell her otherwise. The banging grew louder and faster, she could feel the vibrations of it run through the floor and along the stage right to her arms. Waverly’s body vibrated in front of her from the banging as she whispered secrets before it was too late to tell them again.

As Wynonna ignored the doors a bright light streamed into the large room, it blinded Wynonna. It was brighter than the sunlight that was peeking through the hole in the ceiling. With squinted eyes she did her best to look up. Through the bright light all she could see was speckles of purple dots travelling fast and straight towards her. Automatically wanting to protect Waverly she pulled her sister closer and braised herself for the impact that was coming. The purple particles flew down and stopped in front of Wynonna. The shocked brunette squinted her eyes through the burning light and stared at the familiar lights floating above her sister and in front of her.

“Nicole?” Wynonna asked slightly confused as she remembered the last moment she had seen the woman.

The purple light flew around in a circle motion that just grew in speed until it looked like one large light. It flew around Wynonna’s head and upwards, stopping above the two women. Before Wynonna could think what to do, the purple light zoomed down and flew straight through Waverly’s mouth and nose and entered the lifeless body.

***

As Nicole had flown down from wherever she had been her body returned to the last entity that it had been which were purple particles. After the shock of being pushed out of wherever she had actually been suddenly the world became clearer. She focussed on her destination and the world helped light the way to her destination. She was falling at such speed but at the same time had never felt so calm. She took the conversation that she had had with Nedley and just believed in herself, with self-affirmations and determination, she knew her goal.

Just before Nedley had thrown her into that circle he whispered to her. At first, it made no sense, almost like he was telling her a story with no meaning but then it struck her what he was saying.

“_You bridged the gap to come and talk to me; perhaps you can bring the spirits to you? Find the light that gives you hope and reignite it from within,”_

So as Nicole fell from the sky, not even noticing that she wasn’t in her human form, she spoke to the earth, to the wind, the water and fire. She begged them for guidance, to instruct her as to what Nedley meant. She knew he was talking about Waverly, she had always seen the woman as her light who had become her home, she just didn’t understand how to do the rest. So she called out, she trusted that she could rely on the environment and work with them.

They did just that, they sent whispers to Nicole, filling her mind with the knowledge that she never expected to receive. All the mysteries of her abilities were being unlocked in her mind. Her connection to nature strengthened and her confidence grew. She was about to do something she had never done before, she never thought it was possible but now was her shot and she needed to be fast. No matter how powerful she was everything had a time limit, even her.

So as she got closer and bright light filled the large room and blinded a shocked Wynonna, Nicole kept her focus on the goal. She slowed down as her form came level with a confused and Shocked Wynonna. Wynonna called out the Redhead’s name, Nicole tried to respond and that’s when she realised she didn’t look like herself in that moment. Everything was becoming clearer and her form hit the nail on the head. So doing her best to signal the brunette she flew in circles, building moment for her next move and to acknowledge Wynonna so she wouldn’t fight what was about to happen.

Taking one big breath, Nicole built up speed as she entered through Waverly’s mouth and nose. Instantly she felt like her own body was being torn apart as every part of her split up throughout Waverly’s body. As she sped around every vein, organ and nerve ending the kinetic energy of her speed would hit out small bursts of electricity, almost like trying to wake her up from the inside. Every part of Nicole had spread out, giving away a bit of herself as she travelled, sending a message out to the Aether, and telling her love to return to her, return to the body that was being slowly fixed ready for inhabitance.

After a couple of minutes of Nicole making her way away around the body, the rest of her own form had rejoined her. All that was left was to try and kick start the mind, to make the body ready for a soul to return. Nicole had never done any of this before but she put her entire soul in to. Building enough speed she charged at the mind, as she did this lightning strikes spread everywhere around the brain, hitting out at the mind that had turned cold. Seeing this as her time to leave, to return to the world and pray. So exiting the same way she entered, Nicole flew from the body at an alarming speed, her energy draining away as she did. Her form returned to the stage and as she did, her human form began to appear. All signs of purple disappeared leaving a weakened Nicole to fall to Waverly’s feet, motionless and a shocked Wynonna to just look over her.

Surely enough Wynonna jumped to her feet at the sight of Nicole on the floor. She ran around her sister’s body and crouched down next Nicole, now lifting the Redhead on to her lap, confused about what had just happened.

“Red?” Wynonna called to Nicole quietly giving her a light shake. “Don’t you die on me now...it’s bad enough you disappeared when I needed you!”

Nicole led silently not even moving; she could just about hear Wynonna’s voice in the distance with an overtone of loud banging. She winced in pain, her whole body felt like it was on fire, and every ounce of energy had disappeared. She could feel her whole body vibrate again but this time it wasn’t her, it was happening to her. So with scrunched eyebrows, Nicole steadily opened her eyes. The bright light that had occupied the room with her re-arrival had disappeared; the room was a lot darker now. Her eyesight blurred in and out, doing its best to focus in on the blurry figured that was above her.

“Please don’t shake me...I might throw up,” Nicole croaked out. Wynonna’s smiled, relieved to hear the Redhead’s voice. She pulled the woman on her lap into a crushing hug, too scared to let go, not wanting to lose anyone else. “Can’t...breathe,” Nicole squeaked out as she lightly patted an emotional Wynonna’s back.

Wynonna jumped at this and instantly let Nicole go, instead she helped Nicole into a seated position. As soon as she was sure that Nicole could sit up without assistance the brunette swiftly punch her in the shoulder.

“Ow! What the hell?!” Nicole questioned as she rubbed where she had been hit.

“Me what the hell? What was that? You explode into purple shit and disappeared and then came back and take a weird swim in my sister! Explain!” Wynonna snapped at Nicole as her usual self took over instead of the emotionally scared woman she was only a couple of minutes ago.

“I...I don’t know how to explain...but there’s a chance I may have-,” Nicole’s weakened response was suddenly interrupted by an all mighty crash. Both women looked to the opposite side of the room to see the top corner of a door been bent over as a couple pair of hands reached through looking for a way to enter.

“You know what explain later, get rid of them!” Wynonna told Nicole as she tried to hold back her own panic. Nicole looked down in defeat.

“I don’t think I can...,” Nicole quietly admitted as all the energy from her body had depleted, she could feel the heaviness in her eyes willing her to take a break and rest.

“Really, now is the time you choose to say you can’t??” Wynonna scolded the woman as coughing came from behind them.

Both Nicole and Wynonna stopped what they were doing and just stared at each other, almost too scared to look away. Knowing they were both the only people left in the room with a pulse, they both swallowed hard and let out a breath neither of them knew they were holding. Slowly they both turned their heads to look at the door and all that could be seen were the guards trying to break past the Debris barricading the doors so simultaneously they both turned their attention to the lifeless body that was led next to them, the lifeless body that didn’t seem to be so lifeless anymore. As soon as Waverly’s head slightly twitched Wynonna moved, she grabbed Nicole’s arm and pulled her over so they were both sat over Waverly’s body. Waverly’s head twitched again and there was rapid movement under the eyelids.

“What the actual fuck! She died... (Wynonna looked down to the knife wound that had partially healed itself)...what did you do?” Wynonna asked the shaken Redhead in a tone that could be interpreted as anger or hopefulness.

Nicole just looked down at Waverly who was slowly returning to the world. She was too shocked to even hear Wynonna’s words; Waverly was surely coming back to them. Nicole trusted in her own abilities and it seemed to have worked. Tears fell from Nicole’s eyes, never taking her eyes away, even when all the guards managed to crash through the door and surrounded the stage. Wynonna shouting sounded distant to the Redhead as she witnessed Waverly’s eyes fly open and take a sharp breath as though she had just been underwater. Nicole’s shoulder was being shaken aggressively, pulling her out of her dream world. With a confused face, Nicole turned to see what Wynonna was looking at, to come face to face with a lot of guns facing them and a lot of angry men.

“What the fuck did you do with Bobo,” One of the men shouted angrily at the women.

“Uh...You know that’s a funny story...,” Wynonna started before leaning closer to Nicole to whisper. “Red we need a magic trick, or this time we’re all dead...,” Wynonna trailed off as she looked behind her to witness her once dead sister look around herself in confusion and then look back to the guards waiting for a miracle.

Before the weakened Redhead could respond a rumbling erupted from outside the room, even the guards looked around confused by the sudden motions. One by one the men turned away from the women on the stage and pointed their guns at the door. A moment later an exhausted looking Doc went flying through the doorway and just stopped just in front staring at the guns pointed at him. With a cocky smile, Doc raised his hands as though to surrender but was actually to wave over at an even more shocked and confused Wynonna.

“Don’t be wastin’ your bullets on me boys, I’m the least of your worries, Woooo!” And with that Doc dived through the men before they could react as the rumbling grew stronger and closer. Doc ran through the men and jumped up to the stage to join all the women. He crouched down next to them as the guards continued to stare at the door.

“I saw Bobo die when I was on the hill but when you didn’t come out I got worried,” Doc told them in a low voice as he grabbed Wynonna’s hand protectively. He looked down at a silent Waverly who was staring at the ceiling and a weakened Nicole who looked like she was going to pass out. Wynonna noticed his concerned face.

“Oh she died (gestured to Waverly) and I guess she brought her back but she’s no use to us now (She gestured to Nicole),” Wynonna rolled her eyes. Doc looked at them all baffled by the lack of information.

“I’ll be fine I just need a minute to get my strength back,” Nicole said quietly too weak to speak any louder.

“Sorry dude but we don’t have time for that,” Wynonna told the Redhead more impatiently now.

“Ah don’t worry, Doc Holliday brought you the distraction you so very much need,” Doc told them proudly as they just gave him a confused look.

Suddenly the rumbling stopped and Doc was staring at the door with a smile on his face. A second passed and one lone zombie stumbled through the doorway. Instantly all the guards took aim at the zombie and took it out in seconds. As soon as the zombie hit the floor the men turned back to the stage with their guns aimed and Doc still stayed with a smile on his face. The rumbling started up again but this time the guards didn’t have time to turn around when a humongous hoard of zombies came flying through the doorway and threw themselves at the guards who now began a battle to the death.

Wynonna turned to a very proud looking Doc with a look of astonishment on her face. “You found Bobo’s hidden stash?!”

“That I did, I followed the tunnel you and Miss Haught took...getting them up here wasn’t easy but I managed to take out half the men with them already,” Wynonna lurched forward and kissed Doc with all the emotion that she had. Pulling away she looked down to Waverly and Nicole.

“Any chance you can at least get us out of the building (She looks down at the men and the zombies fighting and the zombies were slowly winning) before they run out of humans to eat?” Wynonna asked the Redhead with pleading eyes.

Nicole closes her eyes and took a deep breath; she could sense the outside from where she was sat. All she had to do was pull on the last of what she had left in her and she could fly them all out of the zombie feeding fest.

“I can try...,” Nicole told the brunette.

She held out her hands so Wynonna and Doc could help her up from the floor. The sudden use of gravity caused her head to spin for a moment before adjusting herself. She looked down from the stage to see all of the destruction and the blood that seemed to be everywhere. The zombies were just killing the last of the stragglers. She didn’t have much time before they turned their attention to the four people on the stage. Nicole closed her eyes and called on the wind to help her but nothing happened. Shaking out any nervous energy in her body she tried again but her call wasn’t strong enough, seeing Nedley and saving Waverly had taken a lot out of her and now everyone was depending on her. She opened her eyes again to see all of the zombies one by one turning their attention to them. She looked all around her for a solution, Waverly was still on the floor not moving, if that was Waverly that she brought back, they didn’t have time to find out. She looked to Doc after a sudden idea hit her.

“Doc did you bring that dynamite with you by any chance?” Nicole asked Doc who became gleeful at the question. He pulled his jacket back to reveal three sticks of dynamite in his pocket.

“Never leave the house without it, ma’am,” Doc nodded.

“Ok quickly...I’ll light and we’ll blow them out of our way!” Nicole said as Doc rushed over, pulling the dynamite out as he went.

“Ok, quickly guys! They’ve noticed us now!” Wynonna called as she grabbed one of the tables and snapped a leg off to use as a weapon just in case.

Doc presented the sticks to Nicole as he pulled his gun out and started to shoot the zombies closest to them. Nicole clicked her fingers to create a flame but nothing happened. Taking a second to calm herself, she clicked her fingers again, this time only creating a small spark. She dropped her hand in defeat.

“I...I can’t...there’s nothing left in me,” Nicole shook her head apologetically.

“Doc where’s your lighter?!” Wynonna called to her boyfriend as more zombies grew closer. Doc fumbled around in his pockets as he searched for the lighter, becoming more frantic with the more time they ran out of. “Dammit! Plan B, grab a weapon we’re gonna have to fight!” Wynonna shouted rolling her eyes.

Wynonna positioned herself at the edge of the stage with a weak Nicole joining her and Doc continued to shoot his gun until his bullets disappeared.

“Shit,” Doc breathed at the empty Glock. He looked down at the array of guns on the floor that were being blocked by zombies.

Wynonna swiped at the zombies with the table leg as Nicole grabbed the bat Wynonna had previously dropped and tried her best to swing it in front of her. Doc took the empty gun and swung it at every zombie he could reach.

There were too many zombies and they were trapped. Everything Nicole had gone through and this was how it would all end, so much for a destiny that she was meant to have. The zombies began to climb up onto the stage forcing the three to move backwards, Nicole looked behind her to make sure they didn’t hit Waverly when she saw the girl was gone.

“Wynonna, where’s Waverly?” Nicole called out. Wynonna frowned and looked behind her to see the pool of blood but no body.

Suddenly everything had stopped and everything in that room had frozen everything except for Nicole. She looked at the zombie that was about to launch itself at her had frozen mid air. She looked around her to see that Wynonna and Doc had frozen mid-action too. Taking a reluctant step back she turned to see the frozen zombies that were in the process of climbing on to the other side of the stage behind them. She didn’t understand what was happening, already she seemed to have had the weirdest day and now it just got weirder. Taking careful steps in her weakened state she moved away from the zombies and waved a hand in front of Wynonna’s face, hoping for some kind of reaction. Nicole turned away and carefully stepped around all the zombies to get down from the stage, she made her way around the herd to see a lone body stood with their back to everything.

“Waverly?” Nicole asked quietly. Waverly turned to face Nicole; her eyes were glossy with a small smile on her face.

Not even thinking, Nicole ran to brunette and lifted her into her arms, her weakened state long forgotten at the sight of Waverly. They embraced so tightly with Nicole just breathing in the smell that was her love. She lowered the woman back down to the ground after a moment. They stared into each other eyes like it was the first time they had seen each other.

“What’s happening?” Nicole asked quietly. Waverly reached a hand up to caress the Redhead’s cheek.

“Looks like Bobo’s formula worked better for me after death,” Waverly replied in the same quiet tone.

“You did this?” Nicole asked astounded. Waverly gave a small nod.

“You said you needed a minute to get your energy back...I heard that...and then I saw the zombies coming so I ran...and I wanted to help...then this...,” Waverly explained as she thought back to what had happened.

“You froze everyone in here for me?” Nicole asked still confused and little blindsided. Waverly shook her head.

“No, they’re just moving really slow...,”

“How do you...?”

“Know? I dunno I can just feel it...I just know,” Waverly said with a slight shrug. “Now you can get that minute you need,”

“I didn’t need time...I needed you...You give me strength but I didn’t know if you had actually come back from...,” Nicole couldn’t bring herself to address the elephant in the room.

“The dead?” Waverly finished the sentence from her. Nicole looked at her shocked.

“You don’t seem shocked by that?” Nicole stated confused.

“When I woke up I heard your voice...but you weren’t talking...I got the message you left me, that I had died and to stay calm because you were waiting for me,”

“Oh my god, it really worked...I wasn’t sure it would,” Nicole said in disbelief.

“Well it did but I’m actually a little surprised...after my lies and everything I didn’t think-,” Waverly was cut off with her admission with Nicole’s lips on hers.

It didn’t take long for Waverly to return the kiss. It had felt like a lifetime since they had been so close and it was so welcomed. The two women got lost in each other for a moment, never wanting to let go of what had almost been taken away from them. They soon returned to reality and reluctantly pulled away from each but still leaning their foreheads against each other.

“The past is the past and I can’t imagine a future without you,” Nicole whispered to a now tearful Waverly.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of telling you the truth just to lose you, I love you so much and now I have a second chance to show how much,” Waverly admitted through a smile full of tears. Nicole lifted her hand to wipe the fallen tears away and press a kiss against Waverly’s forehead.

“You don’t need to show me...we have our whole lives together now for a new start,” Nicole beamed down at the smaller woman.

Waverly lurched forward and caught the Redhead in a much more passionate kiss this time, the kind of kiss that sent Nicole’s energy levels off the charts, Waverly always made her feel more alive than any other time in her life. Before the kiss could become anymore passionate they pulled away to catch their breaths. Nicole stared down lovingly for a moment before widening her eyes. She suddenly remembered Wynonna and Doc.

Nicole spun around to see that Waverly had been right, nothing was frozen but moving very slowly as she could see some of the zombies had managed to get closer to Wynonna and Doc on the stage in the couple of minutes they had been distracted. She turned back to Waverly who had now been looking in the same direction.

“Do you think you know how to put this back to normal?”Nicole asked now filled with more haste.

“Yeah I think so, you feeling a bit stronger?” Waverly asked never taking her eyes away from Nicole’s.

“Definitely, you were just what I needed,” Nicole replied with a smile.

Nicole closed the gap between them and lifted Waverly into her arms, she then turned to Wynonna and Doc and focussed in. Now with more understanding of her powers multitasking wasn’t a problem. Communicating with the wind, it lifted the slowed down bodies into the air so they were just hovering over the zombies below them. Nicole then looked to Waverly with a proud smile which was happily returned. Waverly wriggled closer to the Redhead and wrapped her arms around her neck and closed her eye and concentrated. Within seconds everything was moving back at normal speed.

“Holy fuck!” Wynonna shouted across the room. Wynonna had grabbed onto a terrified looking Doc as they looked down from where they were floating.

Nicole and Waverly just laughed at the reaction and held onto each other tightly as they rose into the air joining Wynonna and Doc. Without saying a word Nicole carried Waverly up through the roof with a tethered Wynonna and Doc following close behind.

***

As soon as Nicole had landed them on the hill by Doc’s truck, Wynonna had already grabbed Waverly into a bone-crushing hug which Waverly happily let happen. Doc and Nicole just happily stood by the truck watching the reunited sisters.

After a few minutes Wynonna reluctantly let Waverly go but still left an arm wrapped around the smaller woman’s shoulders. They walked up to the truck watching a depressed Doc look back at the encampment.

“What’s up babe?” Wynonna asked letting go of Waverly to jump up on the hood next to Doc.

“It’s nothing,” The cowboy grumbled. Wynonna nudged into him playfully as Waverly and Nicole had found each other’s arms again.

“Come on, I know that face...I’ve just got my sister back and you look like I just killed your dog,” Wynonna laughed. Doc looked up at Wynonna like an upset child. He placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out his sticks of dynamite.

“I was just so excited to use them...but it’s ok I’ll just save them for another time...,” Doc trailed off in disappoint as all the woman looked on at him with silent laughter. Nicole looked to Wynonna and then to Waverly knowingly. She then turned her attention back to Doc.

“Hey Doc, bring them over here,” Doc looked at her confused but he did as she said and showed them to her. With her free hand she clicked her fingers and a flame appeared.

“What are you doin’?” Doc asked slightly pulling the sticks away from the flame.

“Just trust me ok?” Nicole said. Hesitating for a moment Doc reached the Dynamite forward but keeping his body as far back as possible. Laughing at the man, Nicole reached her hand forward and lit the wicks.

“Throw them up!” Nicole shouted excitedly with Doc doing as he was told straight away. Nicole focussed her energy and a huge gust of wind appeared and carried the dynamite straight down to the encampment.

A few moments past when a huge explosion went off, they watched as the building they were in with the zombies went up in flames with thick black clouds billowing out.

“Wahoooooo!” Doc screamed out at the explosion, jumping around in excitement as all the women watched him but this time unable to control their laughter at the sight of his glee.

Wynonna jumped off the trunk and walked over to Nicole and Waverly.

“Do you know how long he has waited to use those...too friggin’ long!” Wynonna told them as she laughed along with them. “So are either of you going to tell me what the hell happened back there?”

Nicole and Waverly looked at each and then back to Wynonna, not sure of what to say but also enjoying their little secret. Waverly bit her lip and thought for a moment.

“It’s a long story...and I’m pretty sure Nicole knows more than me...,” Waverly admitted bashfully.

Wynonna just nodded her head and walked over to the truck and opened the door to the passengers seats.  
“Well it’s going to be a pretty long drive home...we’ve got time,” Wynonna grinned at the two women as she invited them into the truck.

Nicole looked down on a beaming Waverly. “You ready for a fresh start?” The Redhead asked, already knowing the answer. Without answering, Waverly leaned up on tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on Nicole’s lips. Then she intertwined their hands and dragged her into the back of the truck with Wynonna shutting the door behind them.

Wynonna walked up to Doc who had got distracted by the explosion and grabbed him by the arms and dragged him over to the truck.

“Come on, we’re done here,” Wynonna told him with a smile as they climbed into the truck all set for all of their next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter - @Nerdzilla91


	19. Chapter 19

3 Months Later

“Mwahaha! They will never see it coming and my potion is almost complete!” Nicole laughed to herself as she stirred the boiling pan of soup in front of her.

The Redhead had resigned herself to become a mad scientist as she prepared supper that evening. The kitchen she stood in had now become a laboratory as it filled with steam and pungent smells. Nicole had only been left alone for a few minutes before falling into her story world.

“There’s no one who can stop me now! The world is mine for the taking!” Nicole yelled as she lifted the pan from the gas burner and turned around to see a bemused Waverly watching from the doorway.

“I think not! You will never get away with your evil plan!” Waverly responded falling into the character of the hero easily. Standing up straight with hands on her hips she approached the Redhead who was now resting the hot pan down.

“So you think you can just barge in and try and foil my plans? You’re too late, the potion is made and soon everyone will be ingesting it!” Nicole laughed as she stood tall mirroring the small brunette as she approached.

“Don’t worry I will stop you!” Waverly commanded as she stopped dead in front of Nicole, her eyes narrowed as they stared dead into each other’s eyes.

“I’d like to see you try,” Nicole playfully snarled.

Waverly narrowed her eyes more so, looking from the pot and back to Nicole before leaping into the taller woman’s arms and pulling her in for a sweet kiss.

Three months had passed since the events at Bobo’s encampment and the two women had fallen into a happy life with each other. Since returning home and all of the truths had been laid out between the two women, Wynonna and Doc everything had settled nicely, they even decided to move onto the Earp land a couple of weeks later. Although Nicole wasn’t in a massive rush to share a home with Wynonna and Doc she decided to use her unique skills and turn the old disused barn into a treehouse home for herself and Waverly. That way they could all become a whole family but also keeping their privacy, Nicole wasn’t ready to share the smaller brunette with anyone else just yet. So she weaved her abilities and created a luxury home which consisted of a small wooden kitchen with small indoor fire pit so they could cook and a cosy living area with furniture that she had scavenged from town and upstairs the whole top floor was a large opened plan bedroom with an added balcony attached so they could still do their stargazing together. The treehouse wasn’t exactly like the small one she had made when she first met Waverly but it was a definite improvement, so much so that on multiple occasions Wynonna did her best to try and persuade the two women to swap it for the homestead.

Either way, Wynonna was so pleased that her sister had come back home, after so many years of not knowing what happened to each other the two sisters could finally get back to where they had left off, they could build the relationship that they had lost out on. She didn’t feel the need to barge in on the two women either, well not as often anyway but she managed to keep some boundaries knowing they were living so close. Even Doc welcomed the new family that was being built, especially when Wynonna announced that she was pregnant and would be welcoming somebody new to the homestead. He stepped into the father role instantly as he recruited Nicole to help him build boundaries around the Earp land to build better protection from anyone or anything. He even started whittling new baby toys and a crib; he didn’t want to scavenge for his child he wanted only the best. Wynonna would never admit it but it made her fall in love with Doc so much more seeing him become the type of father that she never had.

When Waverly found out she was going to become an aunt she was over the moon, so much so that her powers chose that moment to develop and cause the world to reverse by fifteen seconds just so she could hear her sister break the news again. Seeing time reverse had come as a shock but at the same time, it excited her to know that she could be helpful in the future of protecting her niece or nephew to be and knowing she had a super-powered girlfriend that she could finally keep up with and help her see how her powers would develop. They understood each other before Waverly had abilities but now they also had a much stronger kinship that no one else in the world could possibly understand. So Nicole would help Waverly train and learn about what she could do with her abilities, unfortunately, they found Waverly could only use her powers when she was having intense feelings inside which did come as a shock when the two women were in the process of more alone private activities together but over time Waverly worked on controlling it. She worked on meditation and controlling her emotions and soon enough she could begin to see what she could be capable of which consisted of slowing down time, slight reversal and slightly speeding it up. If the brunette was anything like her Redheaded girlfriend then there would only be more to come.

So it brought them to the present day, their life had finally found a way of being complete together and they had never been so happy in their whole lives. Settling down together with no secrets and the chance at a new future together was exciting and refreshing between the two women. Nicole for the first time since losing Nedley finally felt whole, she was more in tune with her abilities than ever and she could see the new family that she had never had before. Her whole life had been a difficult and confusing journey that had led her up to that point. She just knew that everything had happened for a reason which helped her let go of her insecurities and found that she didn’t use her dream world as an escape anymore but more for enjoyment. She still managed to babble and go off on a tangent when speaking but if she lost that then she wouldn’t be the Nicole that everyone had grew to love, even Wynonna enjoyed the quirkiness of it all, although she would never admit it out loud. 

Waverly pulled away from the kiss and looked up at the Redhead whose eyes were still closed as she continued to enjoy the sensation that had just left her lips. After a moment of realising the kiss had ended Nicole slowly opened her eyes to see Waverly smiling up the taller woman as she patiently waited with a small bemused smile on her face. Nicole took a deep breath as she took in the sweet smell that was Waverly and slowly fluttered her eyes open to return the smile that was being presented to her. Waverly wrapped her fingers through Nicole’s and gave a soft squeeze.

“So...how are you feeling about tomorrow?” Waverly asked softly. Nicole gave a small shrug.

“Ok I guess...kinda nervous but I’ve got you so I know it’ll be ok,” Nicole responded with a slanted smile.

“Of course you will, we both will! I know this is a huge decision for us but I think it’s something we have to do; we were both granted gifts for a reason,” Waverly reassured her girlfriend. Nicole gave a squeeze to Waverly’s hands before letting go and grabbing a bowl of soup for the both of them. She walked them over to the table she had built and the two women sat down.

“And I really do agree, I just can’t help but worry about Wynonna, I mean she is pregnant now after all,” Nicole responded as she started to eat her food.

“Awww baby, you’re worried about Wynonna...you’re going to miss her aren’t you?” Waverly teased as she ate her food.

“I never said that I just meant from a dangerous side of things, she’s in no position to protect herself,” Nicole quickly argued back, not wanting to admit she would miss the woman who had quickly become a sister to her. Waverly shook her head and chuckled as she put her spoon down.

“Wynonna will be fine, we’ll only be gone six months, she has Doc here to look after her and honestly, with the person that Wynonna is and also mixed with hormones I think anybody would be too scared to even go near her, human or zombie,” Both women laughed at this.

“This is true, she’s definitely not one to be messed with, and I just want to know we’re making the right decision in all this, are we ready? You’ve only just started controlling your abilities; we could wait until we’ve done a bit more training?” Nicole said nervously, doing her best not to show her inner fears. Waverly just looked on with a sad smile as she watched the inner conflict of the Redhead.

Standing from her seat, Waverly stepped over to Nicole and sat down on her lap as she wrapped her arms around the other woman’s neck.

“Is there really ever going to be a good time? There will always be a reason not to leave but think about it, if we can get out there and bring people back to purgatory, we could really start to rebuild the world and you never know we could find someone who could reverse Bobo’s stupid virus...but if we don’t leave now then we’ll never go,” Nicole silently nodded along as she looked into Waverly’s eyes. “I know you’re nervous but we’ve got each other and imagine the places we’ll see, the world is a pretty big place, can you imagine the things we would get to see that most people would never get to see in their lifetime and to be able to experience that with the person I love...priceless,” Waverly leant forward and placed a soft kiss on Nicole’s lips.

“I guess when you put it that way...I just wish there was a way we could still stay in contact with this place whilst we’re gone...you and Wynonna were separated for so long before and I hate that you guys have to again,” Waverly started to chuckle at this. “What’s so funny?” Nicole frowned with a confused look.

“You have the power to talk to and manipulate nature...of course we can stay in contact, send a message through the clouds or soil or something, I know you have it in you,” Waverly said reassuringly.

“What about them contacting us?” Nicole asked. Waverly thought for a moment.

“Could you not instruct the Earth to bring a message back?” Waverly asked.

“Maybe...I don’t know,” Nicole shook her head not quite sure.

“Well looks like something we’ll just have to try out and if not we can always cut the trip short, I just want you to be ok with all of this, even if you get homesick,” Waverly smiled which made Nicole return it.

“I can’t get homesick when you are my home,” Nicole replied shyly.

“How do you manage to be so cute and charming at the same time?” Waverly asked with playful narrowed eyes and a pout. Nicole just shrugged with a smile.

“I guess it’s just a talent,” Nicole joked.

“Come on, we’ve got an early start in the morning and I definitely want to have time to make you less nervous before we go to sleep,” Waverly wiggled her eyebrows seductively as she leant in for another soft kiss.

“Oh really?” Nicole replied playfully as she quickly scooped up the woman sat on her lap and stood from the table. “I guess we shouldn’t waste time before it gets late,”

Waverly squealed as she was unexpectedly lifted and the two women left their half-eaten dinner and headed to their bedroom for the last time in six months.

***

Sunrise soon arrived at Nicole and Waverly stood outside with Wynonna and Doc as they prepared to leave for their big adventure. Doc sat back on the porch smoking a cigar as he watched Wynonna fuss over her younger sister.

“Now remember to make Red here do her weird mojo so I know that you’re still alive...,” Wynonna began to tell Waverly in a more motherly tone.

“Uh, what about me?” Nicole interjected.

“Oh you’ll be fine but she’s blood I just need to know you haven’t let anything happen to her,” Wynonna warns the Redhead before turning back to Waverly as Nicole rolls her eyes. Waverly held back a laugh at her girlfriend’s reaction.

“Nonna don’t worry, six months will fly by and I promise we’ll be back before you give birth, who else is going to be there to hold your hand when you go into labour?” Waverly as she held her sister's hands.

“Perhaps the father maybe?” Doc responded from behind them. Both Waverly and Wynonna looked round at him and began to laugh. “Or not?” Doc said confused at the two sister’s reaction.

“Ignore him, he still doesn’t understand yet but I can’t lose you again and I also have a list of rules for you to both follow whilst you’re away...,” Wynonna began as Waverly raised an eyebrow at her older sister. Instantly Wynonna’s speech began to speed up.

Both Nicole and Waverly had to hold their laughter back as they watched on. Wynonna continued through her list of rules for a moment until Waverly lowered her eyebrow to make Wynonna’s speech return to normal.

“...And finally, rule 100 – Never eat yellow snow,” Wynonna finished as she looked between the two women who were doing their best to suppress a laugh. Finally realising what was happing she let go of her sister’s hand and crossed her arms.   
“You did it again didn’t you?! You made me talk faster so you wouldn’t have to listen to me!” Wynonna snapped.

“I’m sorry Nonna but we really need to set off and we will be fine, Nicole’s gonna try and figure out a way so we can still talk whilst we’re gone and I’ll be fine, just have some faith,” Waverly said comfortingly to her sister.

Doc came up behind Wynonna and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder.  
“Don’t worry Miss Waverly I’ll make sure she’ll be fine and I’ll get on and try to refurbish the town before boths of you are back.

“Thank you Doc,” Waverly beamed as she stepped forward and embraced the man into a hug followed by Nicole doing the same action.

Waverly turned to a now glossy-eyed Wynonna with her arms stretched out. Wynonna looked at her sister annoyed and then down at the floor before stepping forward and being enveloped into a hug. They stayed that way for a minute before stepping away as Wynonna wiped a tear from her face.

Nicole watched the two women with so much compassion, wondering how she would feel if she had to leave her family willingly, it couldn’t be easy for both of them. Nicole raised her hand to wave Wynonna goodbye when she was suddenly hit with a weight and Wynonna had pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug.   
“You stay safe too Red, I need you both to come home to me,” Wynonna whispered into Nicole’s ear quietly so only she could hear. Nicole smiled, knowing Wynonna really did care secretly. Nicole pulled away from the hug with glossy eyes.

Wynonna wiped her face and fell back into Doc’s arms as Nicole and Waverly picked up their backpacks and took a step back. Both of the women looked at each other with teary eyes.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Nicole whispered to a red-eyed Waverly. Waverly just nodded her head.

“Yeah...now or never,” Waverly said with a bittersweet smile. Nicole just silently nodded as she scooped Waverly up into her arms. They faced Wynonna and Doc one last time before Nicole’s eyes clouded over white. The blanket of wind wrapped around the two women before propelling them up into the air, sending them off towards the sunrise for their next adventure together.

***

So there you have it my loyal readers, bet you didn’t see all of that coming did ya? To be fair I didn’t either, it was some crazy stuff but great entertainment. And that’s how my journey first started, how I found family and my soul mate. Getting it all out on to paper really is therapeutic and you never know people in the future could turn this into a movie or something. Can you imagine how epic that would be?! Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself but my life has been one insane journey and it just continues really. I guess you could call this my origin story, now I would tell you more but Waverly is calling for me to help her with something and this is my last page of paper so I’m going to have to sign off for a while.

Just remember that no matter what your talent or power is, there definitely is a reason for you having it and you should totally embrace it. Look at me, I started with nothing and now life couldn’t be better. This is Nicole Haught signing off, returning to the world that needs me, whether the world knows it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it, I have finally finished! And I just want to thank everyone who stuck with me and followed the story and for all the kudos and comments that I received it really does mean a lot! I'm not sure whether I should revisit this story for a sequel or not but what do you all think? I loved writing this and so proud of my first Earp fiction and until the next story, thank you again for taking the time to read this. Love to all xx.
> 
> Twitter - @Nerdzilla91

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter - @Nerdzilla91


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